Wakey Brews
by Kaley Geminni
Summary: Rosemary can make a mean frappuccino, and... not much else. Dealing with the aftermath of the Reaper War, she soon finds herself the target of a serial killer, bent on destroying all she holds dear. Many, many OCs. Cameo appearances by many of the surviving ME crew. Post-ME3 world. Much lemon ahead. It's not porn with story, but more like story - with a smidge of porn. Enjoy!
1. Ch 1

**CHAPTER 1**

She couldn't believe it had already been two years. Two full years since the end of the War of the Reapers. So much had happened...

The devastation... had been catastrophic. It had only been a few months since the last Mass Relay had been repaired. It had taken almost all of those two years for the Citadel to be repaired, cleaned out, and readied to make the trip back to the Widow system. Two years... and Rosemary Fletcher still didn't know what to do with herself.

Rosemary Fletcher was the owner of a coffee shop famous for its dextro-based and non-dextro coffee and teas. Her mother, Rosamund Fletcher, had been the original owner of the shop - only, she had died during the Reaper invasion. Still, she had her father, and a younger brother, Oliver.

Since taking over ownership of Wakey Brews, the shop had become quite popular among the local human and turian population. She was a horrible baker, though. She knew that her regulars only bought her pastries to be polite. She took comfort in knowing that they cared.

She spent as much time as she could at work. Home... wasn't home anymore. Her father spent most of his days sitting at the kitchen table, staring at her mother's old office, a haunted, broken look in his eyes. That day, more than two years ago... had been the day she had lost both her parents.

After school, Oliver would stay at Wakey Brews until it was time for them to close shop and go home. Wakey Brews and the Fletcher family lived in Little Palaven, a turian town in southern Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. The War had forced the Citadel's citizens to temporarily call Earth home, and Little Palaven was one of the hastily-built towns than the Citadel's turians had created. After the War, xenophobia had been at an all-time low on Earth. Something about the Reapers' attempt to destroy ALL organic life and Cerberus - the for-humans-only terrorists - ... terrorizing well, everyone, had opened the minds and eased the hate of many humans for aliens.

Personally, Rosemary had never had a problem with aliens. Despite never having gone off-planet in well, EVER, the aliens she had come in contact with had been decent folk. "It doesn't matter what part of they galaxy you're from. People are people", her mother used to say, ", and they come in three flavors: shitty, non-shitty, and shitty-lite". Rosemary had immortalized her mother's words of wisdom on a plaque on the wall behind the counter, and they brought smiles and barks of laughter from many a customer.

Rosemary loved her job, and she loved most of her customers - which was one of the three reasons she was bringing over two dozen free brews to the turian crews who hung out at one of the local parks, relaxing afer a hard day's work. There were hundreds of crews working tirelessly on the Citadel, but this crew was special... to her, anyway.

The second reason she made the weekly trip was Saeli, asari matriarch and friend, who did her work on a picnic table under one of the park's many orange trees. Rosemary didn't know much about her friend, only that she was in charge of coordinating the repairs on the Citadel. She did most of her work on her omni-tool, making calls and organizing work rosters. Rosemary had met her volunteering for body clean-up of the Citadel. Saeli had found her vomiting into a broken flower-pot after trying to move her first corpse. She hadn't been prepared for the gruesome reality of moving half-rotted corpses, but she had wanted, no, needed to help. She had a sturdy build, and was reasonably strong, so she had thought - why not? Why not, indeed.

Saeli T'Garu had taken pity on her and sent her to work on working with the medics, to help identify the bodies. She worked the terminals instead of bodies - which suited her just fine. Saeli had continued to check in on her, and soon they had become fast friends. Rosemary had lost her mother, and Saeli had lost her daughters, who had been Huntresses. Like most asari, Saeli was graceful, and her voice, deeply melodic. Her skin was a smooth, slate blue, and her flawless, patrician good-looks was marred only by a clean scar across her cheek. She once confessed to Rosemary to having vivid magenta tattoos in her maiden years.

Saeli was also a health nut. She politely declined the donut Rosemary offered, delicately shuddering. "All that sugar. It's revolting."

Rosemary shrugged and bit into the donut. "I didn't bake it, so it's not bad. Not enough icing."

The asari matriarch grimaced and turned off her omni-tool. "I will take your signature concoction, however."

Rosemary grinned and searched for her friend's regular drink in her cooler. She found it tucked in the corner, behind a couple of dextro lattes. "Low-sugar, skim milk, nearly non-existant chocolate syrup, and Irish Cream."

"No coffee," Saeli teased.

"That, too," Rosemary chuckled. "My signature creation - the Black Irishman."

"I don't get it."

"It's a humany joke," Rosemary said, smiling. "In your case though, it's Black Irishman-Lite."

"I didn't get that one either," Saeli said, sighing. "So, come to admire the view?"

Rosemary flushed, and cleared her throat, suddenly embarrassed. Ah yes, the third reason why she made the trip. The view. On Tuesdays, the park was occupied by a turian working crew - and turian C-Sec snipers. They used a section of the park for target practice, and yes, Rosemary very much enjoyed watching them.

She knew it was creepy. She felt like the world's biggest sleazeball. But still, she watched. She couldn't help it. Turians were just so... hot.

It was a recent affliction. She had only encountered turians two years ago - and she had been smitten.

The attraction hadn't been physical - at first. She had always been the type of person to be attracted to personalities before appearances, but turians were physically... _very_ different. Then she had gotten to know a few of them, male and female - and curiosity soon turned to admiration. At the young age of fifteen, all turians underwent military training. All the turians she had met, though not all honorable, still seemed to have a rigid sense of discipline. She admired that. Then admiration became attraction, at least in the case of turian males.  
Rosemary sighed as she looked on at the turian snipers. They were close enough for her to hear snippets of their conversation, yet far enough for her to appear to not-be-watching-them-avidly.

Saeli found Rosemary's obsession quite amusing. But... she needed lessons in subtlety. Not wanting to tell her young friend how obvious she was being, she decided to distract her with something she had been meaning to tell her anyway. "I'm moving back to the Citadel."

That got Rosemary's attention. "What? Why?"

True, Saeli had lived on the Citadel until the Reapers had moved it, but she had been living in Little Palaven for almost two years now. Rosemary was suddenly very sad. Saeli was one of her dearest friends. Still, she tried not to let it show. "When will you be leaving."

"When the Citadel moves back to the Widow system. I still have about a week."

One of the snipers suddenly laughed, startling the two friends. "Ha! You shoot like a volus!"

A turian with red markings shook his head. "Don't listen to that racist ass, Rothus."

"I am not racist," the offended turian protested.

"Focus on your targets," the turian in charge barked. "That's some good shooting, Fortem," he praised the one who defended the one named Rothus.

Rosemary tried not to stare at the one called Fortem. Saeli saw where she was looking, and grinned.

"This isn't the first time you've looked at that one. Is he your favorite?"

"Maybe."

Saeli chuckled. "You are obsessed with turians, Rosemary."

"Oh yes, I am." Why deny the truth? "They have delicious, bone-tingling voices..."

"They're called subharmonics," Saeli said, her amber eyes sparkling with mirth. "So what's drawing you to that one?"

Rosemary sighed and shrugged. "His plates are smooth, dark - his red markings are nice, too... The horns on his crest are so... You know? They're thick, with a sexy curve to them... And have you heard his voice? It's pure sex."

Saeli laughed, delighted by Rosemary's honesty. "You've been eyeing him for a while, then? What does your father think?"

Just like that, Rosemary's mood darkened. "He... doesn't really care." About anything, she thought sadly. Determined not to think about it, she continued, "Besides, not many turians go for humans. We're too 'squishy', apparently."

"Who told you that?"

"Gravrak."

Saeli made a face. "Gravrak? You listen to that krogan? Rosemary, the only beings that male finds attractive is his reflection and rocks."

Rosemary giggled, drawing the attention of the snipers. Rosemary blushed and turned her head. Feeling mischievous, Saeli leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "His name's Balint. Balint Fortem."


	2. Ch 2

**CHAPTER 2**

"You did WHAT?!"

"I sold Wakey Brews."

Rosemary stared at her father in horror. Her father hadn't bothered to look at her to deliver the news. He continued to eat his noodles, nonplussed.

"H-How? To who?!"

"The Alliance. Once the turians leave, they're turning Little Palaven into a low-income housing development. It's a noble cause."

She couldn't argue with that. But Wakey Brews... her Wakey Brews... her mother's Wakey Brews.

"You can go to college now. Rosamund would have liked that," her father added quietly.

Guilt stabbed at Rosemary's heart. They had never been a family with money. After high school, Rosemary had gone straight to work at Wakey Brews. Rosamund, however, had come from money. Education had been very important to her.

"I was thinking we could move to Philly. Apartments are going for real cheap..."

Rosemary didn't want to hear any more. Move to Philadelphia? It was more crime-ridden than ever. The War had made a lot of people angry and bitter ... and a lot of them had moved to Philadelphia. She didn't want to live there. She liked where she was at. She loved Little Palaven.

She looked up at the starry sky, her mind racing. They were eating dinner on their apartment's balcony. Next to her, Oliver picked at his food, his face sullen. Ever since their mother had died, their father's couldn't bear to eat at the family table. Their mother had loved that table. She had saved for it for a year. It was the fanciest piece of furniture in the apartment. Now it just stood in their dining room, bare and unused for two years.

The moon shone its soft white glow upon the family, lending the sense of peace Rosemary needed to just... think. Just behind the moon was the slight outline of the Citadel. Rosemary blinked. Wait a minute...

XOXOXOXO

It was Wakey Brew's last day of business. Many of the shop's regulars were most unhappy with the news, but they wished Rosemary and her family well. Distracted, the day's pastries were more burnt and rancid than usual, but the regulars still bought them. Touched, Rosemary tried not to broadcast her glum feelings. Instead, she greeted every customer warmly and bore a determinedly cheerful face all day.

An hour before closing, Tabitha's best friend ran in the store, looking frantic. Imitha was a young turian female, with medium-shaded plates and blue colony markings. Right now, her face plates were raw... from crying? Imitha ran and hugged Rosemary, her voice a ragged sob. Concerned, Rosemary returned the hug.

"Imitha...?"

Her friend could barely speak. After a minute, she rasped, "The Normandy's back, Rosemary! It's back... my brother's b-back!"

Rosemary gasped. That was amazing news! Imitha's brother was the famous Garrus Vakarian, comrade to the hero Emma Shepard. Rosemary had met Imitha and her father at Wakey Brews, when they had first arrived on Earth. Imitha had complained about her biscuits. When Rosemary admitted to her failing, readily agreeing that her biscuits did indeed taste like ass, she had made Imitha laugh. She had been friends with the Vakarians ever since. Imitha came to Wakey Brews every day, a huge fan of Rosemary's dextro-friendly frappuccinos.

There was going to be a big celebration in Philadelphia. Imitha insisted that Rosemary and Oliver join them. So it was with a conflicted heart that Rosemary closed the doors to the Wakey Brew, never to open again - she thought, most morosely.

XOXOXOXO

The celebration was a grand affair. Thousands of people were in the streets, laughing and shouting with excitement. Traffic had been a bitch. Luckily, the Vakarian name had gotten the party past several of the checkpoints with hardly any trouble.

The Convention Center was packed. In the main room, the crew of the Normandy stood on a hastily-assembled stage - all with stoic expressions, oblivious to the crowd cheering and shouting their names. Rosemary recognized several of them from the vids - Joker, EDI, Steven Cortez, Liara... and of course, Garrus Vakarian.

He wasn't a bad-looking turian, even with the scars all over the right side of his face. He had the same blue colony markings as his sister, and she couldn't see them from where she stood, but he probably had the same blue eyes as Imitha, too.

There were a lot of speeches, through all of which the crew just stood, unaffected. The only emotion they showed was varying degrees of grief and barely disguised anger when Commander Shepard's name was mentioned. Three politicians had droned on and on about her saintly character and accomplishments until the one she recognized as Kaiden Alenko took the microphone away from the last one.

Despite the crew's unenthusiastic response to the celebration, it continued, albeit less raucously than anticipated. The instant Garrus stepped off the stage, Imitha ran to him, weeping with joy.

"Dad will be SO happy! He said he'll be back by tomorrow, but I... I just can't believe you're alive! We worried you were dead...!"

Garrus' mandibles twitched. Rosemary sensed he didn't feel like answering any questions at the moment, so she offered her hand to introduce herself. "Hi, I'm Rosemary. Rosemary Fletcher. I'm a... family friend."

Garrus shook her head, looking grateful. Imitha wiped away her tears and smiled. "She's my best friend, Garrus. Our family and hers... we've grown very close since the War."

Garrus was polite, but withdrawn. Imitha was hurt, and confused, and told Rosemary as much the next day, at Wakey Brews.

XOXOXOXO

Wakey Brews wasn't open to the public. Not anymore, anyway. Rosemary was just packing everything up, and sorting everything into appropriate crates.

Imitha sipped on the frappuccino Rosemary had whipped up for her. "I don't get it, Rosemary... Well, I do, but I don't."

Rosemary just listened as she wiped down the counter.

"Dad said he had been in a relationship with the Shepard woman, but I didn't know he had, you know... _loved_ her. They loved each other, Rosemary. Honestly, I didn't think they would love each other like _that_... I thought is was, you know, regular interspecies sexual curiosity. Everyone goes through _that_."

Rosemary blushed.

"You know they renovated and built up what used to be the Crucible, right?"

"I think I read about that, yeah."

"Well, it's become this _huge_ fancy park, with pricey condos and little stores all around it. Very scenic. Well, Dad messaged Garrus this morning, saying he bought him a condo right in front of the park. Garrus is _not_ happy about that."

Rosemary winced. She could see why he wouldn't be. The park had been named Shepard Park, in honor of the Citadel's hero. Right in the middle of the giant park was a forty-foot statue of Commander Shepard herself. Thinking of Imitha's brother looking out at that statue everyday, a gigantic image of his lost love... That was just... _Ouch_.

Still... she couldn't help but feel a little jealous. From what Imitha was saying, the love between her brother and the hero, Shepard, had been the real thing. She'd never experienced it herself: love. She couldn't help but wonder what it was like.

She had never really put herself out there. She wasn't a virgin, but her first and last time hadn't been about love. It had just been sex. There was nothing wrong with just sex, but she wondered... What would it be like to have _feelings_ involved?

These thoughts plagued her long after Imitha had left the shop. She thought about other things too - her future being at the forefront. Was she really going to go to college? What would she study? She had never had any grand ambition. The coffee shop had been her life. She had always pictured herself decades from now, a little old lady still running Wakey Brews, sharing her stories about "the good 'ol days'.

College. It just didn't feel right. She had never been great at athletics, or academics. She was the definition of average, of mediocrity. She had never in her life considered the idea of pursuing a higher education.

There was something admirable in wanting to educate oneself, but her real passion was people, and coffee. She liked bringing a little sunshine into her customers' day. She liked making small conversation, and making people feel more comfortable in general. It was what she loved.

She was on the last crate. A sudden, crazy thought entered her mind. What if... her family moved to the Citadel before it left? She'd be with Saeli and Imitha, and her brother had always wanted to see the Citadel in all its glory... But it was so expensive. They would have to live in one of the more unsavory Wards... whose crime rate had been equal to Philadelphia's own these days.

It could be exciting. There would be new opportunities for her family. The Citadel schools had had decent reputations before the War. What kind of job could she have? C-Sec? _Nah_. No. She wasn't in the least bit combat-inclined. She could always work retail.

She'd sealed the final crate when someone knocked on one of the windows. Looking up, she was struck with sudden panic and alarm. It was the turian sniper, Balint Fortem.

Wakey Brews was done, but she found herself letting him in. Her hand shook as she unlocked the door.

"I'm sorry," Rosemary said, twisting her hands. "We're closed."

Balint looked disappointed. "That's too bad. I was looking forward to trying one of your drinks. Saeli said they were good."

"You know Saeli?"

"We're friends," Balint confirmed.

For a minute, they just stood there awkwardly. Rosemary suddenly thought of something. "Hold on!" She quickly went behind the counter, looking for a specific crate. "I still have some leftovers from this morning... Where is it..."

The refrigerated crate was at the very bottom of a stack of other crates. She started moving the other crates. Balint shook his head.

"Do you need help? Those look kind of heavy."

"No, thanks," Rosemary said, smiling. "I wasn't given this sturdy build for nothing," she joked automatically, before she could stop herself.

Balint chuckled. Ignoring her protests, he started re-stacking the crates while she rummaged through the refrigerated one. That was nice of him, she thought, relaxing slightly.

She finally found what she was looking for. Hiding under a bag of straws were the leftover frappuccinos from that morning. After a few seconds' deliberation, she picked the last bottle of dextro mocha frappucino. He could be a mocha frappuccino guy, she thought with some amusement. She stood and handed him the bottle.

Balint took a sip, and trilled in surprise. His mandibles flared as he stared at the bottle. "It's amazing! What is this?"

"A dextro mocha frappuccino," Rosemary told him, relieved. "So you like it?"

"I can see why Saeli is obsessed with your drinks. The guys are always raving about them, too."

Rosemary was suddenly extremely shy. "It tasted better with whipped cream, but I already packed the dispenser."

"That's alright. This stuff is amazing, but I'd draw the line at whipped cream. Not exactly the manliest topping."

Rosemary grinned; she couldn't help it. She tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear and sneaked a glance at her reflection in one of the windows. She didn't look too bad. Her hair was a mess, but not ridiculous. She caught sight of a coffepot under the counter, near the back. How had she missed that?

She took it out and grabbed a rag. She should clean the dust from it before packing it. Balint took another sip of his drink.

"So..."

"Hm?" She finished polishing the coffeepot and placed the rag back on the counter.

"My voice is pure sex, hm?"

CRASH! Rosemary froze in shocked embarrassment, the coffeepot in shattered pieces at her feet. Balint's golden eyes gleamed; his mouth slanted in a smirk.


	3. Ch 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Rosemary didn't need a mirror to know what she looked like. Despite having mocha brown skin, in situations like this, she always turned out the same way: blotchy. Her complexion became a confusing mixture of caramel, strawberry, and spoiled cream splotches. How did he...?

"H-How?" How close were he and Saeli? Had she told him? Oh, the betrayal! - her inner voice wailed.

Balint's smirk deepened, but his voice was not unkind. He tapped the visor over his left eye. Rosemary frowned, suddenly remembering that Garrus, Imitha's brother, wore one very similar to it.

"It's the latest Kuwashii visor. Standard issue for C-Sec. Just came in a few days ago."

"Oh." Okay...?

"It's now comes with an auditory function."

"Oh... no..."

Balint grinned. "It picks up and enhances sound. You and Saeli were just... within range."

She wanted to die. No, not die. But perhaps swallowed whole by the ground? Whatever she wanted, she just didn't want to be here. Wallowing in horrored humiliation.

"My squad thanks you for the compliments. You've made quite a few of us interested in humans."

Oh. _Reapers_. What was she supposed to say to that? Wait. Did he just say...? Had he become interested in humans? A part of her was flattered for a second and a half, but mostly, she became... wary. "Is that why you came here," she asked quietly, inwardly wincing at her cracked voice.

Balint didn't seem to know what she was asking at first. It took him a few seconds, but when he realized how she had taken his comment, he was quick to assure her. "No, I didn't... What I meant to say was... Well, you can relax. We were flattered, but I came here mostly out of curiosity. Saeli says... fa-chow-cheen-ohs are amazing. I wanted to try one."

Rosemary relaxed. "It's frappuccinos, and I'm glad you liked it." Clearing her throat, she felt obliged to inform him, "I'm sorry, but this is the last day..."

"Last day?"

"My dad sold Wakey Brews," she found herself grumbling.

Before she knew it, she found herself explaining the situation to Balint, the object of a few months' salivations. He listened to her vent, only asking a question here and there. Rosemary reasoned that she would have vented to anyone, only he had been the first available person for her to vent _to_. She hadn't seen Saeli since the other day, and Imitha had her own troubles. Balint was a willing ear, and it happened to be what she needed at the moment.

"So... my father wants a new start for all of us. He's thinking Philly, but I'm... thinking the Citadel. It's crazy, right? I mean, I haven't even been off-planet." She sighed. "I bet it's amazing."

Balint shrugged. "It's not bad. The view's fine, if you're into the 'empty black void' thing."

Rosemary chuckled. "You sound like a spacer."

Balint shook his head. "Nah. Born and raised on Palaven. I just prefer more... green horizons. The view here's not bad, either."

"Ha ha. You're just torturing me, aren't you," she accused.

"Maybe."

"Ass," she grumbled under her breath. "Make fun of the poor little human with the turian fetish. Damn cruel."

"What was that?"

Rosemary shook her head. "Just wondering aloud what I'd even do on the Citadel."

Balint looked thoughtful. "I've been assigned as one of the Councilor's guards. I could check to see if C-Sec has any openings for you. What are you good at?"

Rosemary's expression fell. "Um..."

"Any good with guns? Tech? Biotics?"

Rosemary sighed. "No, no, and... no. I'm good with coffee. And books?"

"Books? Real books? With paper?"

He was laughing at her. "Shut up." Rosemary tried to sound stern, but failed. She was used to people laughing at her hobby. She smiled with him.

After he was done laughing, he thought of something else. "You could still apply to C-Sec. A lot of clerical positions have opened up. The Citadel's back in order, but it won't be for long. There's going to be a lot of gang activity - everyone fighting over territory. We can't afford to have able-bodied officers sitting behind desks."

There was hope. Shyly, she thanked him. "Thank you... Mr. Fortem?"

"Call me Balint. It was nice to meet you, Rosemary."

XOXOXOXO

Ever since Shepard had sacrificed herself to bring the galaxy peace through synthesis, everyone's way of life had drastically changed. The formerly organic races still ate food to fuel their bodies, but as long as there was sunlight, they couldn't starve. Good old solar power was now everyone's backup generator, so to speak.

For a year after Shepard's Synthesis (so dubbed by the Crucible scientists), everyone had been aglow with green energy. The green had faded, but flared to life in a person's eyes when sparked by heightened emotions.

Sunbathing had become all the rage. Nearly every building on Earth now had a sunbathing roof, for people to soak up the rejuvenating rays. Rosemary's apartment building was no exception. She went up to the roof to capture the day's first rays. They weren't as potent as full sunshine, but Rosemary did what she could. She had a busy day ahead of her.

The apartment building's roof was a maze of sunbathing stalls. Rosemary entered a stall and closed the door behind her before she started undressing. The stall's mirrored walls dully reflected her naked body as she laid down on a worn sunbathing mat. In the back of her mind, she made a note to wipe down every stall's walls. The landlord wouldn't handle it. He was a worthless, lazy sleaze.

Rosemary didn't worry about shuttles flying over; sunbathers could be seen by passing shuttles, but there was a strict no-flyover law about human sunbathing roofs. In Little Palaven, however, they weren't so shy about nudity. The law was looser here. But this was just after dawn. No one was ever around at this time.

And it wasn't like she was something great to peek at, Rosemary thought, glancing at her reflection. She wasn't overweight, but she was still... soft. She didn't have an athletic bone in her body, she thought with a sigh. She was once told by a random creep that she had 'good, child-bearing hips', but that no one liked a 'fat ass' anymore. The combination of her African American father and Spanish mother had given her a smooth, mocha complexion, and loose, chocolate curls. She had always been quite proud of her ample bosom... but not anymore.

On a drunken night out with Imitha, Imitha had teased Rosemary mercilessly about her body. Rosemary had gotten quite a few looks from admiring humans, and Imitha had chuckled and said that was a good thing - because she wouldn't stand a chance with a turian male. Turians liked their women with a trim waistline, slim chest, and angular lines. Saeli didn't agree with Imitha, as she and Rosemary had similar bodies. Saeli had had turian lovers before, after all. She didn't know who to believe, but Imitha's words made her think of how she looked to a turian. Lumpy. They probably thought of her as lumpy, soft, and gross.

Rosemary relaxed and let the soft rays of sunlight dance on her back. Was she truly the only one out sunbathing at this hour? Probably not. Thinking about naked turian males made her cheeks heat. After ten minutes, she turned over. She stared at the sky for a minute before making her decision. She got up, and got dressed.

She stood at the head of the stairs leading into the building, and called her father on her omni-tool.

He answered her second call. He was at a shuttle-stop, on his way to work. "What is it, Rose?" He sounded tired. He always sounded tired.

"I don't want to live in Philly," she blurted out.

Her father was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry, Rose. But I need a change. I... can't stand to be here."

"I understand, Dad, but let's not move to Philly."

"Where then?"

Rosemary took a breath. Here we go. "Can we live on the Citadel? I know it'll be expensive, but I can take a job at C-Sec and..."

"Fine."

Rosemary deflated. Really? Just... 'fine'? She had memorized a whole speech... "Really?"

"Yes. We don't need to worry about credits for a while, anyway. The Alliance paid us well. The Citadel should be fine. Please tell your brother and make the arrangements. I have to go, Rose. I'll see you later."

Rosemary was left staring at her omni-tool, feeling both horrible and elated. His voice had been uncaring... dead. He really didn't care about anything anymore, she thought miserably. Her side twitched with pain; she dug out her prescription tube from her pants. She lifted her shirt and applied soothing ointment to the old bite mark on her side. It was a souvenir from when a husk had almost killed her in the War of the Reapers. It had tore into her side with its teeth before an Alliance Marine had blasted it off of her. It still stung every now and then.

After helping the galaxy rebuild most of their worlds and the mass relays, the Reapers and their abominations had retreated to dark space, away from those they had take away from, killed, and mutated. She couldn't wish them well. She really couldn't. She _hated_ them.

She couldn't understand their reasoning for trying to destroy all organic life. She could believe that there would always be war between synthetics and organics - but even now, when they were all synthesized, they still warred with each other. It was part of being... alive. A war between machines and their creators was just another war. Wars were always waged over territory, personal grudges, and resources. _Pointless_. What the Reapers had done was mass-murder, with no point to it at all. God, she hated them.

She would never forgive them. Especially since... She banished the thought from her mind. It would only bring pain. She had just entered her apartment when someone knocked on the door she had just closed. She put her robe back on. "Who is it," she called through the door.

"Garrus Vakarian."


	4. Ch 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Vakarian? What was Imitha's brother doing at her door?

She opened the door and stared at him. He nodded to her in greeting. He was dressed casually, in a black tunic and pants. She got the impression he felt more comfortable in armor, though.

"May I come in," he asked.

Lord, his voice. Struggling to keep her composure, Rosemary stepped aside to let him in. "S-Sure." She was a monster. She was a turian-crazy lust monster. This was Garrus Vakarian, her best friend's brother, and her first thought was... God, he's HOT. Upon further inspection, scars only added to his sexiness.

It was the dead look in his eyes that quickly got her over herself. "Imitha said she was meeting with you. Is she here?"

Rosemary frowned. "No, I'm meeting her in an hour at the local bistro. She said you guys were meeting here?"

Garrus looked sheepish. "No, we're meeting at the bistro. It's just... I know my sister. She gives you a time to meet, but expect to meet her an hour later. She... takes her time getting ready. I thought she might be with you, talking about girly... things."

Amused, Rosemary asked, "She gave you my address?"

Garrus shrugged. "It was mentioned in passing. Imitha talks... a lot."

Rosemary chuckled. "Very true." Then she realized what she was wearing. A pair of tight black pants and no... top. Just a short silk robe. A loose one. "Ah... fudge."

Was it her imagination, or were his eyes gleaming appreciatively at her state of undress? She blinked, and the look was gone. Huh, it probably had been her imagination. Rosemary hurried to get dressed behind the changing screen.

Garrus cleared his throat. "'Fudge'?"

"I have a younger brother," Rosemary said by way of explanation.

"Ah." Instant understanding. "So... how did you meet my sister?"

She told him the story while she got dressed. Garrus had a good laugh when she told him about her dismal baking ability. Rosemary smiled, hearing it. He sounded like he hadn't laughed in a while.

They chatted in the living area of the one-bedroom apartment, making casual, easy conversation. Garrus told her stories about the Citadel and she told him about Little Palaven and what his family had been up to the past two years; they even talked about the weather. He reminded her of Balint, only more guarded.

THUMP!

Directly above their heads, someone screamed.

Acting purely on instinct, Garrus pulled out his pistol - Rosemary strode over to the kitchen and picked up her heaviest cast iron skillet. Garrus smirked at her choice of weapon.

"Don't judge me."

They quietly exited her apartment and headed upstairs.

"Who lives there," Garrus asked.

"Ereba and her daughter, Keeya. Ereba works in the Presidium. Keeps to themselves. Nice people."

They reached Ereba's apartment. They could hear muffled screams from all throughout the hall. Rosemary wondered why no one else was investigating. Were they all at work? Or were they hiding?

The door was locked. Rosemary wasn't surprised when Garrus easily kicked in the door. It almost exploded off its hinges. Their landlord was cheap, as was his choice of building materials.

The sight that met Rosemary's eyes made her freeze in horror. Ereba lay on her kitchen floor, gutted. Before Garrus could stop her, Rosemary rushed to the asari's side and examined the wound, already knowing the truth. Ereba was bleeding out too fast. She would be dead in minutes.

Ereba looked relieved to see Rosemary. "Protect... Protect Keeya... please."

Rosemary shook her head as she took Ereba's hand. "Who did this, Ereba?"

"Still here... Protect Keeya. Oh, Charr..." The mother died with tears in her eyes.

Garrus still had his pistol drawn; his gaze darted around the apartment before alighting on a picture on the wall. Rosemary tearfully followed his gaze. It was a photo of Ereba and a dark, gray-plated krogan. Charr must have been Ereba's husband. But where was Keeya?

As if in answer to their unspoken question, they heard a sudden stirring. Rosemary gently returned Ereba's hand to her chest and stood up to investigate the sound. This apartment had the same layout as Rosemary's, and she knew that the closets were too shallow to hide a child. So she went to the only place that could hide a three-year-old...

Sure enough, she found the huddled form of Keeya in one of the cabinets under the sink. Rosemary had never had a close look at Keeya; she had always hid behind her mother, and had worn jackets with large hoods. She could see her more clearly now. Her skin was gunmetal gray, and she... did not exactly look like an asari. She didn't have the scalp tentacle... things. She had horns.

"Her crest looks krogan," Garrus said, looking as dumbfounded as Rosemary felt. Keeya looked up. Her face was of an asari, but...

"She's a hybrid," Rosemary realized aloud. How was that possible?

Garrus lowered his pistol. "It could... make sense. We're all synthesized now. Maybe the asari and krogan systems became more... compatible. Maybe we're all more compatible now. She's the first hybrid I've heard of, though. I don't know. I'm not Mordin."

The implications were staggering. But... She looked back at Garrus. "Who's Mordin?" The name sounded familiar.

Garrus' mandibles twitched. He whipped around and leveled his gun at the door. A woman stood there, staring at Keeya. She was an asari, and she wore an elaborate, purple mask. She also held a bloody sword at her side.

"Give me the girl," the woman demanded, her voice cold.

Garrus didn't look away from her. "Take the girl and go out the fire escape," he said under his breath to Rosemary.

"No can do. I don't even think the fire escape's attached to the building anymore," she whispered back, holding Keeya close.

Garrus sighed. "You should think about moving."

Rosemary looked past the assassin, her shoulders suddenly slumping with relief. "She's calling the cops. We're good," she told Garrus.

The woman whipped her head around in disbelief to see - no one. But it was too late. Garrus was on her in a second, kicking the sword from her grasp. He trained his gun on her head. "Give it up."

The asari snarled and lashed out to knock his gun from his hands.

BAM!

Rosemary winced from the bedroom where she and Keeya had escaped to; she had never heard a gun go off this close before. Well, it had been a while, she mentally amended, thinking of her experience with the husk.

Garrus appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. He looked none the worse for wear, except for the blood splatter all over his clothes. He also looked annoyed. "Really? Cheap doors? The fire escape? I need to have a talk with your landlord."

"Is she dead?"

"The bullet in her brain seems to think so."

"That makes no sense."

Garrus shrugged and put away his pistol. "Everyone's a critic."


	5. Ch 5

**CHAPTER 5**

"Talk 'bout me?"

Rosemary nodded and lifted Keeya to her lap so she could see better. They were in front of the Citadel Council, awaiting their... assessment and decisions concerning Keeya's situation. Rosemary wasn't feeling very comfortable. The last time she had worn formal wear was at her mother's funeral; she felt incredibly stiff. The chairs weren't comfortable, either. The Councilors were talking amongst themselves in heated whispers. They had been doing so for at least twenty minutes. Keeya was feeling restless; Rosemary couldn't blame her. Keeya was three.

"It is rude," Keeya decided.

Rosemary shrugged. "Important people can be rude," she explained.

"Hmph," was all Keeya said to that.

Finally, the Councilors directed their attention to the human and hybrid.

"In light of the recent... event, we have decided to impart sensitive information to you. You are a civilian. This made the decision difficult," the salarian councilor informed Rosemary.

 _That's_ what they had been talking about? Rosemary frowned. "And of Ereba's killer?" She hoped her voice hadn't sounded too squeaky. Her voice tended to be squeaky when exposed to uncomfortable situations.

The turian councilor shook his head. "We have known of the assassins for quite some time."

Assassins? As in more than one?

The asari councilor nodded. "They have been hunting the offspring of interspecies relationships, particularly those of asari lineage. Hybrids are their marks. They left a message for us some months ago. They believe the synthesizing of the entire galaxy was a curse. They want things back... as they were."

Rosemary's frown deepened. "They said this... in a message? Why are you only telling me now? Why weren't the people told of this?"

"You must understand," the asari councilor said. "Death threats are a daily hazard in our line of work. The message was lost in... what did Hackett call it? 'The slush pile'. A dozen hybrids were already dead by the time we got the message and tracked the hybrids down. The problem is... We have no clue as to who they plan to target next. There are thousands of confirmed hybrids. We can only do what we can with what we have. What we have now is Keeya, a confirmed target of this... association."

"I want t'stay with Rosemary."

The councilors looked at Keeya, startled. Rosemary couldn't blame them. Keeya spoke quite well for a three-year-old.

"Excuse me, child," ventured the salarian councilor. "Did you say something?"

"I want to stay with Rosemary," Keeya repeated patiently. She squirmed in Rosemary's lap, suddenly shy of the attention. "She's nice. Gave me biscuit."

The councilors leaned forward. Keeya's voice had become a mumble. "Could you repeat that, please? I'm afraid we couldn't hear you," the turian councilor asked gently.

Keeya looked up. "She gave me biscuit. It tasted bad, but it was still... nice."

The asari councilor shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea, Keeya. Rosemary Fletcher may be a nice person, but she's a human. She won't understand."

 _Ouch_. Racist much, Rosemary thought, disgruntled. What did being human have anything to do with anything?

A stubborn look settled on Keeya's face. "Why? She is nice! She was nice... to... mama. I stay with Rosemary!"

Rosemary stared at Keeya. Had she heard a rumble at the end of Keeya's declaration...? Must be her krogan side, she thought, trying not to smile.

The asari counciler sighed. She put her hands behind her back and turned to look at Rosemary. "Very well. Rosemary Fletcher, funds will be deposited into your account weekly to help with expenses. I understand you plan to move to the Citadel. Where does your family plan on residing?"

How had she known that? Rosemary remembered that the asari councilor had asked her a question. "Oh! Um... somewhere? In... the Wards?"

The slightest trace of a grimace crossed the asari councilor's face. "I... see." She looked down at her terminal, and started tapping at it. "Job?"

"I... was hoping to join C-Sec... in a secretarial aspect."

The turian councilor nodded with approval. "Our officers will be needed in the field. Any help you can offer will be appreciated. I will see it done personally."

Rosemary stammered her gratitude. And with that, the meeting ended.

XOXOXOXO

Afterwards, Rosemary walked with Keeya along the greens leading to the Presidium Commons. Young trees dotted their path, freshly planted and already flourishing in the manufactured, artificial environment. Keeya gleefully ran towards the grassy areas of the park, stopping only once in a while to inspect every other flowerbed. They were approaching the Presidium Commons when Rosemary's omni-tool dinged.

She had just received messages from the asari and turian councilors. Rosemary's slate blue eyes quickly scanned the turian councilor's message. He had already procured her a position in C-Sec. She had been assigned to the C-Sec offices in the embassies. She was to report there the very next morning. Rosemary felt a brief moment of panic. That wasn't enough time! She had to pack, withdraw Oliver from his school, inform her friends, do all the moving paperwork...

She quickly scanned the asari councilor's message. The asari councilor informed her that she was to take residence in a Presidium apartment, and that she had already forwarded the required funds to her account. Rosemary quickly brought up her account and promptly stumbled.

Keeya fussed over her as she sat on a nearby bench. Her little toe was throbbing with pain, but she ignored it. The asari councilor had just transferred an obscene amount of credits to her account! She could rent three apartments with that money! Reapers, she could afford to _buy_ a whole condo!

Then again... she'd have to get a three-bedroom apartment at the very least, to house her father, her brother, Keeya, and herself. Those had to be pricey. Once the throbbing on her toe subsided to a tolerable level, Rosemary and Keeya slowly made their way to the Apollo Cafe for lunch, and to start searching for an apartment on the extranet.

Rosemary ordered spaghetti, and Keeya ordered... some slimy green plants off the hanar section of the menu. Keeya didn't think much of it either when it arrived, and was soon eating off of Rosemary's plate. Rosemary didn't mind. Keeya liked to take a bite of food, spit it out, and study it before eating it again. Within minutes, Rosemary's appetite had gone. She pushed the plate towards her young friend and looked around the cafe.

She saw Balint, of all people, enter the cafe after a little while. He looked different, but comfortable in his C-Sec armor. He saw her and waved.

"Tevos said you would be here."

"Tevos?"

"The asari councilor." Rosemary gestured towards the empty seat next to Keeya. Instead, he took the seat next to her. Keeya slowly spit out her food, looked at them, her food, and ate the food again. Balint grimaced. "That's disgusting."

Keeya seemed used to such comments. "Kids' job to be disgusting," she countered.

Rosemary and Balint smiled. "That's true," Balint allowed.

"Reporting for duty," Rosemary guessed.

"Something like that. Clever disguise, that," he said, looking Keeya over. Keeya wore a jacket with a large hood, keeping most of her features hidden. He squinted. "She looks blue. Tevos said her skin was more of a metallic gray..."

Rosemary shrugged. "It's light face paint. I'm planning to pick up a quarian suit tomorrow, to hide her better."

"Good idea," Balint said approvingly. "So... have you found a place to live yet?"

"I think I've found an apartment near here," Rosemary said, holding up her omni-tool. "It's a large apartment, with three bedrooms."

Balint winced. "Finding an apartment near you will be pricey. Good thing I won't be paying for it out of _my_ pocket."

Rosemary didn't bother to hide her confusion. "Pardon?"

"With your ward a target of assassins, a bodyguard from C-Sec was assigned to you. I asked Tevos for the post."

She was even more confused. How exactly did Balint know the asari councilor so well as to ask that kind of favor? And _was_ it a favor? She hadn't pinned him as the type of officer to go for a bodyguard position. She told him so.

Balint shrugged. "Normally, we don't like being assigned as bodyguards, true. It's damned boring. But I'm used to it. I'm usually assigned to guard Tevos."

"Oh. Okay. But still..."

"And Keeya's a confirmed target. You might get targeted, too. I'm bound to see some action in the near future."

It took her a second, but there was no mistaking his tone. Rosemary's eyes widened. Was he flirting with her? She saw then, that his gaze was lingering on her breasts. He was flirting with her! Suddenly self-conscious, Rosemary positioned her arms on the table to obscure his view of her cleavage. Balint grinned.

Keeya had finished her spaghetti. Her nostrils flared as she sniffed the air. She looked at Rosemary, then at Balint, then at Rosemary again. She giggled.

"You _really_ like turians. I can smell it," Keeya said, giggling again.

Rosemary turned beet red. She could 'smell' it? What did she smell like? Did people in heat all smell the same?

"I... don't know what you're talking about." Damn krogan sensibilities.

Balint laughed.

Rosemary grabbed Keeya's hand. "Right. We're leaving."


	6. Ch 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Moving was a surprisingly painless affair. Rosemary had had more friends than she had known. The news of her family's move to the Citadel spread throughout Little Palaven mere hours after Rosemary's return to Earth. More than a few of Wakey Brews' old customers helped her family pack their belongings and lent a couple of their own vehicles to shuttle them to the Citadel. The crew Rosemary had made weekly frappuccinos for showed up to help, too. By evening, they were all but moved to the Citadel, their belongings waiting for them on one of the docks. Rosemary was at Oliver's school, submitting his notice of withdrawal.

Oliver had been surprisingly understanding when Rosemary broke the news.

"I don't have any friends. But I might make some at a Citadel school. Did you see the Presidium? What was it like? Was there fish?"

Rosemary's heart hurt thinking of her brother. Oliver had never been a social creature, but he had had friends... before the War. After their mother's death, Oliver had refused to talk for over a year. His friends, and eventually his teachers, gave up on him after a while. He had only started talking again for a few months, but he didn't seem inclined to re-join society. He spent most of his time on his omni-tool, studying. He was quiet and mature, but too mature for an eight-year-old, Rosemary felt.

When Oliver was told that Keeya would be living with them, his reaction had been unexpected, but welcome. His blue eyes, much like his sister's, lit up when he saw Keeya. He found her exotic features interesting, but not terribly so. He seemed more interested in her as a person, for which Rosemary was grateful. He agreed to keep Keeya's true appearance a secret, not caring to ask why.

While Rosemary waited for Oliver's file at the school to be updated and formally withdrawn, Keeya and Oliver played in the waiting area with Oliver's action figures. Oliver was showing off his collection with not a little pride. Rosemary smiled as she watched them.

"Rosie got me these last Christmas. I've got the Normandy ship and the whole crew! Well, almost. See? I've got half a Prothean. Our neighbor's dog ate the other half. But I wasn't mad at the dog. Because dogs are awesome."

Oliver said the last bit loudly for his sister's benefit. Rosemary rolled her eyes. This was the most Oliver had spoken in ages, but the dog argument was an old one. They could afford one now, but she didn't even know if the Citadel would allow one. Also, she had enough on her plate. Maybe she could get him a dog... five, ten years from now.

Still, she enjoyed watching him share the set with Keeya. Getting that for him had broken her account. It had been worth it, though, seeing his shock and happy expression when he had unwrapped it. She just wished the neighbor's dog had left Javik the Prothean alone. Every payday, Oliver would nag her to get him a new one.

While they played back at home, Rosemary tried on her new C-Sec uniform that had arrived via messenger. It was tighter around the chest and butt than she would have liked, but she felt like she couldn't complain. She should be thankful for just getting the job. Still... she wished she had talent with a needle... and guns, too. Then maybe she'd fit in more tomorrow, she thought nervously.

"Rosie?"

Rosemary opened the bathroom door to see her brother standing there, holding the Normandy. She looked past him and relaxed. Keeya was happily playing with the Samara and Miranda figures on the carpet, completely absorbed. Then Keeya put them down and grabbed the half-Prothean and stuck him in her mouth. Rosemary winced, glad that Oliver couldn't see her chewing on Javik's head.

"Can I be in C-Sec too, Rosie?"

Rosemary looked at her brother, startled. "Wait, what?"

"If I'm in C-Sec, I can have a gun, right?"

Where had this come from? Rosemary didn't like wherever his mind was going. "Why do you want...? ... No. You can't join C-Sec and you can't have a gun. Why are you asking these things, Ollie?"

Oliver looked down at his bare toes, and wriggled them deeper into the carpet. "I want a job. To help with the bills."

Rosemary smiled and ruffled his hair. "We don't have to worry about bills for a while, kiddo."

"Who's paying our bills," Oliver wanted to know.

"The government."

"Oh. That's okay, then." Oliver almost left it at that and turned to re-join Keeya, when he paused. Without looking back at her, he said, "I know I already have a job, Rosie. My job is to look after Keeya and Dad."

Rosemary smiled. "That's right."

"But... who will look after you?"

Rosemary hugged Oliver from behind. "Don't worry about that, Ollie. I already have someone who will look after me: me."

XOXOXOXO

They had just reached the Citadel when Rosemary received another message from the asari councilor. Her father was responding to correspondence on his omni-tool, and Oliver and Keeya were in the shuttle fast asleep, covered with a fluffy blanket. Rosemary glanced at her father, feeling sad yet again. He had been completely unperturbed by the drastic move and addition to their family. When was the last time he had smiled...? She couldn't recall.

Rosemary returned her attention to Tevos' message and scowled. _Of all the... Seriously?!_ She shouldn't have bothered to search for an apartment! The asari councilor had already withdrawn the necessary funds from her account to purchase a townhouse on the edge of the Presidium. Their belongings had already been moved to the new location, and the contract with the apartment, dissolved. _That Tevos lady has serious control issues_ , Rosemary thought, annoyed.

Great. Rosemary tapped on the shuttle pilot's shoulder and relayed to him the new address.

"Oh, that's no trouble," the batarian pilot assured her. "It's just past the original destination by a quarter mile."

When they arrived at their townhouse, Rosemary had to admit that she was impressed. On the outside, the townhouse was sleek and sophisticated, with clean lines and a neutral palette. Inside, it was surprisingly rustic, with dark wood cabinets, shining wooden floors, exposed rafters, and a stone fireplace. Rosemary approached the fireplace with awe. She didn't know they even existed anymore outside of museums!

The batarian pilot was less impressed. After placing the last of their luggage in the living area, he looked around with a grimace. "You got this place cheap, huh? Look at all this wood. The guy who owned this place before you guys was one weird, cheap bastard. I mean, look at that fire-pit. You need real flames in that thing, right? Talk about an ugly safety hazard..."

Rosemary didn't agree with him at all. She absolutely loved the place! Though... the asari councilor probably did get it cheap. Most of the furniture looked comfortable, but yes, cheap. Oliver and Keeya were wide awake now. They ran through the house, squealing and screeching. Though Rosemary knew there was now a fat chance in hell that she would get any sleep this night, her heart was buoyant with happy relief. Oliver was acting like a kid again. She loved Keeya already, if only for this one gift.

"I'll take one of the upstairs bedrooms," her father told her dully.

Rosemary wasn't given a chance to reply. He was already up the steps with his bags before she could think of something to say. Her happiness dimmed, Rosemary nevertheless set about to explore the townhouse fully. There were in total, three bedrooms, a large kitchen that housed a breakfast nook, a living area, two bathrooms, and a fully furnished basement. The attic was small, but unfinished. Still, if she saved up enough money, it could be a livable space.

This place was a mansion compared to their tiny old one-bedroom apartment. As much as she would have loved to study their new home further and make plans, she had to get the kids to sleep. It was with much whining and keening noises that Rosemary finally got the kids to sleep on one of the couches. She would assemble the beds the next day; she was too tired for that shit now.

Just as she had predicted, she managed to get zero sleep by the time she had to get ready for work. She once again donned her new uniform and prepared that morning's coffee, making it extra strong. A thought occurred to her. Coffee had always helped her make nice with people; why not try it today? She heated up two large pots of coffee, one of them dextro-friendly, the other, not. When they were ready, she put them in a couple of gigantic thermoses and packed up a dozen creamers. Her father had already gone out, leaving his breakfast untouched. Oliver and Keeya were still asleep by the time she was ready to leave for work. She kissed them on the tops of their heads and put on her favorite pair of soft leather boots.

 _Ding-dong!_

 _Finally_. Rosemary ignored the butterflies in her stomach. She didn't have time to pay them any mind. She could be professional. She had to be. Keeya and her family's life depended on it. Balint was their bodyguard, and nothing more.

She opened the door and Balint was there, with a single piece of luggage. She stared at the telling item. "What's that?"

Balint suppressed a smile. "My things. Which room is mine?"

"R-Room? Now wait one minute!"

"That's why you got this place. Me living here is the best thing for your family's safety."

She couldn't argue with that. But, still. Determined to be professional in the face of this calamity, she pointed him in the direction of the downstairs bedroom. Balint shook his head. " That won't do. I'm a sniper, love. High places suit me best. Is the attic taken?"

"It's not finished!" _Love_? What self-respecting turian used that sort of human endearment? He must have watched too many human films, she thought sourly. "And wouldn't a room close to the door be best?"

Balint waved aside her concern. "That's what security systems are for. The engineer will have it done by noon. If the threat goes on for too long, we'll get a guard animal. Maybe a varren."

God, varrens stunk. She hoped it wouldn't come to that. She decided to leave everything else up to him. He may be their bodyguard assigned by C-Sec, but at this moment he was nothing but a babysitter. The thought made her grin. "I put in a grocery order for this afternoon, and the kids' breakfast just needs to be heated when they get up. They'll need showers. Keep them clean, fed, and entertained. If you feel the need to unpack some things, please feel free to do so."

Balint smiled at her bossy tone. "You're bringing all that? Need any help," he asked gesturing to the big thermoses.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks." She placed the thermoses on top of each other and kept them in place with her chin. With her other hand, she opened the door. "See you later."

"Oh, and Rosemary?"

"Hm?"

"Good luck."

XOXOXOXO

By mid-morning, Rosemary wished that luck had caught. From the moment she entered the C-Sec offices in the embassies, everyone had been silent around her... and staring. Captain Veracia, the head of C-Sec was there to welcome her himself.

He set her to work immediately. He showed her to a desk right next to the bathrooms, already piled high with paperwork. Without a word of explanation, he coldly told her he expected that day's work to be done in exactly seven hours.

 _Okay..._ Not knowing what to do at all, Rosemary made room on the desk for the coffee thermoses. She stared at the paperwork in front of her. Now what?

"Sorry I'm late," a C-Sec officer apologized, dragging over a chair to sit next to Rosemary's desk. "I'm your new partner, Nuni'Gera vas Haawal. You're Rosemary... Flootcher, right?"

"Fletcher," Rosemary corrected, frowning. Partner? But she technically wasn't C-Sec... wasn't she just the clerical help? "I'm sorry, 'partner'? But you're an officer... aren't you?"

Nuni'Gera vas Haawal wore the standard-issue C-Sec armor, even if it was outfitted especially for a quarian. With a free home planet, quarians had only started applying for jobs outside the Quarian Fleet less than a year ago. It would be another year before they could function without a mask off-planet, but according to the gossip Rosemary had heard at Wakey Brews, quarians made decent C-Sec officers. The gang wars were already starting, and quarians had proved themselves especially adept at slowing down their progress by dismantling and sabotaging their tech.

Nuni slumped in her seat. "I guess I am... Technically. Veracia hates me." She shrugged when she saw Rosemary's confused look. "He hates almost everyone. You know he got promoted only when Bailey became Commander. Very bitter about it. Bullied half the humans off the force. Still, he's decent to any officer that's turian."

Rosemary tried not to be too obvious as she looked around the large office. There were only a couple humans, but there were also several quarians sprinkled amidst the turians, asari, and salarians. Could her new boss really afford to be so partial to his own race? "That seems... wrong?"

"Welcome to your new and improved C-Sec," Nuni sighed. "Veracia really didn't like it when the turian councilor assigned Fortem to your family's protection. He was straight out pissed when he got told you'd be working here. So yeah, prepare to be his new favorite torture victim."

Her new partner's concern was 'touching'. "Thanks?"

"Working with the secretary, Nuni? Tough break," an asari teased Nuni, coming over to join them at Rosemary's desk. She looked to be in her maiden years, but with a hardened set to her jaw. She was also not C-Sec.

The asari extended her hand to Rosemary. "Yadai K'Mohi. Special Tactics and Reconnaissance."

A Spectre. For ten seconds, Rosemary was well and fully starstruck. A real-life Spectre. The closest she had never come close to a Spectre was to one of Oliver's action figures. Rosemary stared at Yadai K'Mohi's offered hand a little too long. Yadai grinned. "Not gonna keep it there all day, human."

"S-Sorry! Rosemary Fletcher. I'm C-Sec's new, um... secretary." She shook the Spectre's hand, trying to regain her composure. Even K'Mohi's hand felt tough, scarred and rough. Her skin was almost cerulean in shade, and her face tattoos were patterned in a way that reminded her of the asari councilor's, only in jet black ink.

The Spectre looked at the thermoses on Rosemary's desk. "That's a lot of coffee for one human."

"Oh! It's not all for me. I brought them in from home for anyone who wants some," Rosemary hastily explained.

K'Mohi perked up. She held up a metal cup. "Nice! That's why I'm here. Spectre Requisitions doesn't provide their Spectres with beverages, unfortunately. Mind if I have a cup?"

"Sure! I've got dextro and non. What's your poison?"

K'Mohi's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

Rosemary winced. "Sorry. Human saying."

The Spectre shook her head. "Kind of a twisted one. Anyway, I'll take the non."

Rosemary quickly poured the coffee into K'Mohi's cup. "Creamer?"

"Sure."

Rosemary mixed in a little sugar and some hazelnut cream, and handed the concotion back to the Spectre. K'Mohi took a tentative sip, then moaned with pleasure. "Oh, I'm coming here more often. You should try a cup, Nuni."

The quarian was already pouring some dextro-coffee into her own cup. When she mixed in a few drops of Rannoch Spicer cream, her reaction was very similar to her friend's. " _Keelah_ , this is bliss. It's waking me up, too."

Rosemary relaxed. Not a bad start to a new job at all.


	7. Ch 7

**CHAPTER 7**

The next day, Rosemary prepared the two thermoses full of coffee, even though no one but the Spectre and Nuni had partook of it the day before. She was an optimist. She had to be. While getting ready for work, she couldn't help but feel nostalgic for the not-so-distant times of when it had just been her and her baby, Wakey Brews. She had felt happy... and fulfilled. Every time she had opened the store's doors in the morning, she had felt some of her mother's spirit in her. Now... she was writing reports for people who barely talked to her. God, she was depressing herself.

She could hear a door open upstairs, and a minute later, Balint was walking down the stairs, yawning. She wordlessly handed him a cup of dextro frappuccino. He accepted it gratefully and took a sip. He sighed blissfully at the taste. "This stuff is a work of art, Rose. You should think about opening up a coffee place again."

That would be nice, but she had to be realistic. "I can't rely on the council to keep paying the bills. I don't even know how long they'd do that for."

Balint inclined his head, conceding her point. "True. They'll only keep supporting you while Keeya is threatened."

Rosemary nodded. "Exactly. I'll still have to pay for this place. I need to make money to pay the bills, same as usual."

Balint looked around. "I see the charm, but this place is _old_. Old and old-fashioned. Wouldn't you rather get someplace more... modern?"

"Oh, _no_. I adore this place," Rosemary gushed. "Newer constructs don't smell like anything! This place smells like wood, earth, and..."

Balint laughed. "I get it, I get it. You're weird."

Rosemary wrinkled her nose. "Don't be mean."

"Not trying to be. Just stating my own observation," Balint insisted. "You know, I'd rather be babysitting YOU instead of the kids."

Rosemary was too distracted by the thought of the workday ahead of her to be flustered by that flirtatiously delivered comment. She told him what she thought of it by snorting, "Keeya's the target, not me. I'm just a measly, incompetent little human."

"Woah, where did that come from?"

One word. "Veracia."

"Ah. Haven't had to deal with him too much, but I heard he's not that fond of humans."

"I noticed," Rosemary said dryly.

"Just try not to judge all turians by his standard. I'm extremely charming, after all."

 _That_ made Rosemary grin. Balint's arrogance was adorable, in its own little way. And Veracia wasn't just a turian. He was an ass. She had never really been into butts, she thought to herself, her grin broadening. "That's not charm," Rosemary corrected Balint. "It's called sleaze. You're just trying to get into my pants."

He didn't see any reason to deny it. "Yes. Yes, I am."

Rosemary rolled her eyes and slipped into her favorite boots. Veracia hadn't noticed that they weren't standard-issue, so until he did, she would wear her favorite shoes, gosh darn it. She grabbed the thermoses. "Turians are sex on legs, but I am _not_ some easy slut," she muttered.

Balint laughed. Rosemary reddened. Had she said that out loud? "Uh... Bye!" She hurried out the door, trying to block out the sound of Balint's laughter.

XOXOXOXO

The job was easy once you got the hang of it. Rosemary took an officer's notes, skimmed through them, and fleshed out a comprehensive, detailed report. With Nuni's guidance, Rosemary was soon breezing through her work. She was on her thirteenth report when a tired C-Sec officer stumbled through the door, bleary-eyed.

"You okay," she ventured to ask.

He didn't even look at her; he was that tired. "Yeah. Long night. Brawl in Chora's Den. This batarian almost tore off one of my mandibles."

Rosemary winced sympathetically. She poured a cup of dextro coffee, slipping in some Rannoch Spicer. She offered it to the officer.

"Oh... thanks," he said, finally looking at her. He looked startled. He still took a sip. Like everyone who had ever tried her drinks, he looked surprised. "This is good stuff. You're Rosem, right? The secretary."

"Kind of, I guess. I'm Rosemary Fletcher."

"Rynak Imperatus. Um, it was nice to meet you." He hurried away, clutching his cup.

Rosemary returned to her work. She was well into her thirtieth report when Yadai K'Mohi came in. She came straight to Rosemary's desk, poured herself a cup of regular coffee and vanilla creamer, and left just as quickly. "Hm. Not bad. Bye, Fletcher."

The rest of her day was pretty much the same. Word quietly spread among the offices about her coffees, and her thermoses were empty by midday. She was in the kitchen cleaning out mugs, when she overheard a couple of turians gossiping just outside the door.

"I have no idea what she looks like, but that Nuni is damn sexy. With those curves, and that accent..."

Rosemary smiled. Nuni would be tickled pink, hearing that she was the object of one of her fellow officer's lusty affections.

"How about V'Zher? At least you can see her face, and she's fitter than the quarian. Not really into the bulbous curve thing..." Rosemary recognized that voice. It was Rynak, from earlier.

"Bulbous? Damn, that's harsh. At least Nuni's curves aren't as... overly generous as that new girl's. What's her name, Rynak? Rosemary, right?"

Rynak was in agreement with Nuni's admirer. "I'm not attracted to humans, myself. Humans are too... soft. Fatty. The females have those fat... globs on their chest." Rosemary could hear his subharmonics shudder with revulsion. "Rosemary's globs are bigger than most, but... she's a nice person. At least she's got that going for her. She makes good coffee, too."

"Coffee, you say? Hm."

Rosemary was mortified. She quietly exited the kitchen through the other door, and shuffled back to her desk. As she got back to work, she tried to cheer herself up. _At least my coffee's good._

XOXOXOXO

Rosemary spent the rest of the day sighing – bored and depressed. And feeling very fat. She may have bought one too many chocolates during break. She was munching her third bar of chocolate when everyone's omni-tool pinged.

"Attention. Attention." Rosemary immediately recognized the synthetic voice belonging to the Presidium's VI, AVINA. "The Citadel will be returning to the Widow system in exactly one hour. Please remain indoors until we have reached our destination. It is also recommended that everyone brace themselves for what may be a turbulent ride. Thank you for your cooperation."

Everyone got up, grabbed their things, and started to leave the offices in droves. Captain Veracia stopped the last four officers from leaving. "Don't be idiots. Who will watch the cells? You four, stay. You're not leaving either, Fletcher."

"But..."

"Continue with your work. We are the Citadel Security. At no given time should the Citadel Security offices be vacant of all personnel," he said harshly.

"But sir, my family..."

"That's what the omni-tool's for, secretary. I will see you five after the move."

The five of them stared after Captain Veracia long after he had exited the offices.

"What an ass," grumbled an asari officer.

They shared a laugh before going to their posts. Resigned to the situation, Rosemary called Balint while she put her paperwork in drawers – just to be safe.

"Fortem."

"This is Rosemary. Veracia's keeping me at work. Is everyone home?"

Balint's voice sounded strangely strained. "Everyone's fine. They're all in the living area – and holding on to something. Rosemary?"

"Yeah?"

Balint's voice was low now. "When you get back, we need to talk about your father."

Rosemary frowned. "Is he okay?"

"I'll talk to you later."

Rosemary stared at her omni-tool. Talk about abrupt! "Fine, fine..." She cut off the call, wondering what exactly Balint was talking about. Ever since their move, ever since her father had finished his job on the Citadel, as part of the plumbing crew, he had been... fine. He was never really okay, but he spent his days going to Apollo's Cafe, playing chess with a volus friend he had found. At least that was what he had been telling her...

The Citadel shifted in a loud groan of metal, glass, and concrete. Rosemary grabbed her desk for balance. The floor beneath her feet was vibrating, and the ceiling was shaking. Suddenly feeling very nervous, Rosemary crept under her desk. She felt silly, bunkering down here, but the desk was anchored to the floor. It made her feel safer, and that's what mattered.

Above the shrieking of the Citadel's bones, she thought she heard someone coming into the offices.

Tap. Tap. Tap. _Hm._ The person was wearing heels. She couldn't explain the feeling, but something told her not to get up, or make a sound. After a few moments, the person left. Rosemary closed her eyes, feeling like an idiot. Why had she hidden? She hoped it hadn't been anyone important. God, she was getting paranoid in her old age.

XOXOXOXO

The move to the Citadel only took a couple of hours. As monumentous the task had been, the powers that be had planned it well. Once they were through the mass relay and back in the Widow system, AVINA came back online to inform the Citadel's citizens that everything had proceeded as planned, and that they were free to go about their business.

Rosemary couldn't get out of C-Sec fast enough. She washed out her thermoses, bid goodbye to the officers watching the cells, and hightailed it out of there. Everyone was outside, staring at the artificial sky.

"We're finally home," a nearby batarian breathed.

Rosemary looked up. It didn't look any different to her. Then again, this was her first time out of the Sol system. Maybe it felt different? Shrugging, she turned the corner and caught sight of Imitha, across from a Rapid Transit station.

"Imitha!"

"Rosemary!" Imitha looked relieved to see her. Rosemary jogged over to her side, well, as well as one could jog in clunky heels, and saw that Imitha was standing next to an empty storefront, looking disgruntled, to say the least.

"What's... going on?"

Imitha sighed. "My Dad."

"Been there. Still there, actually."

"No, I mean... Dad... bought me a store."

Rosemary looked at the storefront again, impressed. "That was nice of him."

Imitha didn't think so, apparently. "It's all Garrus' fault! You know me, I've never really fit in, well, anywhere. I did crazy bad in the military. It was all Dad could do to keep me from being dishonorably discharged."

Rosemary's mouth quirked in a smile. "Imitha... you dyed your squad's uniform purple, and stitched their names on them in pink thread."

Imitha's mandibles twitched guiltily. "Not purple, _wine_ -colored. I wanted periwinkle, but I think my male peers would have killed me. … And it wasn't pink. It was _crepe_."

"My bad." Now Rosemary was full-out grinning. "You were just being... fashionable?"

"Exactly! I was doing my part to better the military, keeping with my skills... and they were mad! It was most upsetting."

Rosemary loved Imitha, but she was the girliest turian she knew. Rosemary liked wearing the occasional skirt and blouse, but Imitha lived and _breathed_ femininity. Rosemary had only had contact with the turians on Earth, but she was willing to bet that Imitha's tastes were still very... unique among her own kind. "So why did your dad buy you a store?"

"Like I said, it's all Garrus' fault! He has to be a freakin' hero. He's the pride of the Vakarian name. And I'm... unmarried, jobless, and just... useless. While Garrus is doing the hero bit, Dad's taken it into his mind that I need to do something with my life. I mentioned, _one_ time, in passing, that I could see myself owning a fashion boutique... so..."

"So he bought you a store. Nice of him. Really freakin' nice."

"But I like _buying_ clothes! I don't have a lick of business sense... It would just be so much _work_..." Imitha started and really looked at her friend. Rosemary was looking at the building, a wistful light in her eyes. An idea took root in her mind...

"Rosemary?"

"Would you... be interested in bringing back Wakey Brews?"

Rosemary stared. Of course she would be interested! Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not taking your store." She'd had enough charity. Sure, the Council had given her a house and a job... but those had been ridiculous measures to keep Keeya safe. She was not going to live her life dependent on the whims of others. That would be risky, and incredibly selfish. Her mother had taught her better. Enough was enough. She was going to earn her way as much as she could. "I'm not taking your store, Imitha," she repeated, her voice firm.

Imitha crossed her arms. "Don't be so dramatic, Rosemary. Just hear me out, okay?"

Rosemary glared back at her friend, equally stubborn. "I don't think so."

Imitha blocked Rosemary from walking away. "I said, hear me out! I just thought of this now, but what if you turn this place into Wakey Brews? It's not your mom's store, but you could make it like it. You were good at your job, Rosemary."

"Exactly. I already have a job. I am a C-Sec secretary. … Kind of."

"Exactly," Imitha exclaimed. "The day's not even half over! You work like, what... a seven-hour shift? You could have two jobs!"

Rosemary stared. "You want me to work myself to the bone? I'm exhausted. I can't do the job I have and manage a store at the same time. It's a nice thought, Imitha, but it won't work."

Imitha wouldn't give up. She walked behind Rosemary, determined to have her friend hear her out. "I can help! I mean... Dad wants me to do _something_ , and this would count! We can be co-owners."

"No. No more charity. And what can you do to help out at a coffee store?"

"I can bake."

Rosemary froze in her tracks. She turned around to look at Imitha, eyes wide. "Seriously?"

Imitha looked embarrassed. She shifted in her heels, looking very uncomfortable. "I... learned to bake shortly after meeting you. I loved your drinks, but I couldn't... eat... your pastries. If you could call them that."

Rosemary wasn't offended. She had been at peace with her nonexistent baking skills for a long time. Even her mother hadn't been shy about pointing out how horrible a baker she was. "You can't, not really. Mom said they tasted like sugar-coated rocks. With crumbly, poison-filled centers."

Imitha chuckled, relaxing. "Yeah, so I decided to try my own hand at... baking. I studied up on it, and I... kind of got obsessed. Whenever me and Dad went to Wakey Brews, I brought some with me... in my purse. Slipped some to Dad, too. He actually thinks you're a good baker."

Rosemary stared. Again. "You didn't tell him?"

"That his daughter likes baking? I don't think he could have handled the shame. Pure military family, remember? I'm a big enough disappointment as is."

"Imitha..."

"No... the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. When we thought Garrus was dead, me and Dad found comfort in Wakey Brews. You were always so nice... and my dad is fine with humans now. He didn't used to be. The First Contact War left a bad impression..."

Rosemary had never known that. She looked back to where the building was, and felt the smallest kindling of hope. To have Wakey Brews again, to have her mother's plaque hanging behind the counter once again... Oh, it was a tempting thought. She closed her eyes, and mused.

It would be a ridiculous amount of work. But if she taught Imitha how to work the store while she worked her C-Sec job... Balint could bring Keeya and Oliver there, out of the house. With Wakey Brews, she'd be... home. Before she lost her nerve, she opened her eyes to look at Imitha.

"Let's do this."


	8. Ch 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Captain Veracia, upon hearing of Rosemary's new venture as a coffee store manager, doubled her workload. Rosemary was in charge of directing construction while Imitha focused on shipments. Still, Rosemary hovered over Imitha, watching everything she did. She couldn't help it. Control was her thing. Between the doubled workload at C-Sec and working on the new Wakey Brews, Rosemary's energy was stretched thin.

She was even busy at night. She played with Keeya in the evenings, and fed and bathed Keeya and Oliver before tucking them in bed. Before he turned in for the night, Balint worked with Oliver on his homework. Oliver was doing well at his new school. He was making friends his own age again, but he still preferred spending most of his free time with Keeya.

As Keeya biotically levitated a set of blocks, Rosemary exchanged messages with Imitha, arguing over the color theme of Wakey Brews. Rosemary didn't want it to be exactly like the old one. She had refused co-ownership of the new store, and had only accepted the position of its manager. She had insisted on merging her tastes with Imitha's, but that was a struggle in itself. Rosemary liked cool colors, and straight lines. Imitha liked warm colors, and frilly, scalloped lines. And she was _obsessed_ with periwinkle. She didn't know that Balint was standing over her, reading their back-and-forth until she set a block for Imitha's omni-tool for three hours.

"Do you two ever get along?"

Rosemary stiffened, suddenly aware of how close Balint was. "Um... yeah? I think so. We're best friends. We just need a little space now and then."

The tips of his gloved talons were touching her shoulder. _Okay! Too close, too close!_

The door to the townhouse opened and her father stumbled in. Balint raised his head, suddenly alert. "Hi... Rosie. I'ma off too bed. 'Night." Stinking of booze, John Fletcher shuffled past Balint, Keeya, and his children without even looking at them.

"Something needs to be done," Balint told her quietly.

She knew that. Ever since Balint had told her the truth, that her father spent his days in bars, drowning himself in whiskey – she realized that she was now officially the head of the family. At least on Earth, he had had work to do... an excuse to not drink himself to death. The responsibility of her family's well-being was all on her, now. Every time she tried to talk to him, to get him to do something with his life, he had waved her aside. "I'm fine," he would always say.

Rosemary was beyond sad now. She was getting angry, and more hurt. Her mother, his wife, would not have stood for the man he was now. He had stopped being a father the day her mother died.

"I'll talk with him tomorrow," she promised Balint.

XOXOXOXO

When Nuni invited K'Mohi and Rosemary to a new club in the Wards, Rosemary asked to bring Saeli and Imitha. It was going to be a girls' night out – because she seriously needed it. With C-Sec work, Wakey Brews work, her father, the worry about Oliver and Keeya... and the gigantic mess of sexual tension between her and Balint – she needed the time-out.

She should have known better. The stimulation unit in Nuni's suit was on the fritz, and the quarian was _horny_. Just a few days ago, Rosemary had heard moans that weren't Nuni's coming from Nuni's suit. "Yes," Nuni had told her. "I am watching porn vids. Now leave me be."

Rosemary shuddered at the memory. With Nuni's... situation being what it was, she couldn't have really been surprised by her choice in venue. She was standing at the exact spot Nuni had said they would be meeting – which was right in front of a strip club.

Rosemary was the first one there, but minutes later, Imitha joined her in staring at the building. "Oh... my," Imitha breathed. The skin beneath the turian's face plates pinkened. "I should have known," Rosemary lamented under her breath. She said to meet up across from the Flux nightclub. She had assumed that that would be their meeting spot, not their destination. In neon pink letters, the word 'Naughty' winked at them.

"Is this a strip club with males... or females," Imitha wondered aloud.

"It alternates," the turian doorman, or rather, doorwoman, told them. She was barefaced, and wearing quality armor. Did strip clubs normally see that much violence? Then Rosemary looked around, noticing for the first time, krogans in Blood Pack armor patrolling the streets. Gang violence was becoming rampant, she remembered, judging by the reports she'd been filing.

"Alternates," Imitha repeated, looking confused.

"The entertainment," the turian confirmed, smirking. "Today our strippers are male. Tomorrow, female."

"Ooh, excellent," K'Mohi said, clapping her hands. Yadai K'Mohi didn't look like a Spectre today. She looked ready for fun, in a slinky, clinging red dress.

Saeli was the last to arrive. Her dress didn't expose as much skin as K'Mohi's, but it was alluring all the same, in glittering plum-colored silk. Rosemary and Imitha looked at each other, both suddenly feeling underdressed. Imitha's tunic dress was at least black, and form-fitting. Rosemary had just worn a modest blouse under a leather cropped jacket. At least her skirt was tight-ish.

The inside of the club was bathed in flickering, hot pink light, and rumbling with low, synthetic beats. It was also packed. Males and females were crowding the stage, shouting and shrieking at the human male stripper wearing... a skimpy C-Sec uniform?

The sight deeply amused Rosemary and Nuni. The four of them found a table in the corner of the club, where they could at least hear each other talk. Rosemary had grown close with Nuni, and kind of close with K'Mohi in the short time she'd known them. She was still intimidated by the Spectre, but seeing her like this... relaxing, enjoying the view, made her seem more... not-terrifying. Still, K'Mohi was presently eyeing the human stripper with a predatory grin on her face, like she could leap across the club and bite him.

Rosemary introduced Saeli and Imitha to K'Mohi and Nuni. K'Mohi smiled at Imitha. "I've heard about you. You're the one who dyed her squad's uniform purple."

"I-It was wine-colored," Imitha protested. "And how...?"

"One of my fellow Spectres, a new recruit, was in that squad. He said that you were an... unusual turian."

Imitha groaned. "I'll never live that down..."

Saeli took pity on her friend and gestured to the stripper that had just come on stage, a batarian. "Like the view?"

K'Mohi's mouth curled in a smile. "Very much so. Mm, he is _built_!"

"Ignore her," Nuni apologized for her friend. "She hasn't had sex in three days, so she's feeling a bit randy. Yes, I'll have whatever's cheap, and strong," she told the server standing by their table. The rest of them gave their drink orders and leaned back in their seats, trying to get comfortable.

"Hey, three days is a long time for me," K'Mohi defended herself. "I have a high-stress job!"

"Turians are the same way," Imitha said. "To get rid of the stress, we either fight or have sex. We're pretty casual about relations, compared to most species, at least."

Rosemary didn't buy it. "You haven't..."

Imitha shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "No, not recently. But hey, that's what's porn for. And... toys."

Nuni patted Imitha on the back. "I wholeheartedly agree! I think I like you already!"

The server came back with their drinks. Rosemary felt out of place with her beer. Why couldn't she have ordered a girly drink, like her friends?

"Keelah, I can't wait until I can take off this mask! Until this suit is _optional_! It kind of limits one's sexual partners."

Rosemary couldn't believe they were talking about this. Then again, considering where they were...

Imitha had to ask. "Okay, I need to know. What are everyone's preferences? I mean, we all know Rosemary's."

Everyone laughed. Rosemary made a face. "Hardy har har."

Saeli shrugged and picked up her flute of champagne. "I've always been partial to quarians." She winked at Nuni.

Nuni blinked. "Uh... I'm not sure I roll that way...?"

"Your loss," Saeli winked. "You know... There's male, there's female, and then there's... asari."

"Here, here," K'Mohi agreed. Saeli and the Spectre clinked glasses. Imitha, Nuni, and Rosemary all scoffed.

Imitha sipped her drink. Rosemary didn't know what she was drinking, only that it was green, and smelled fruity. "I think I'd like anyone that showed any interest. I kind of scare guys away."

"Aw, sweetie..." Rosemary felt bad for Imitha. Sure, she was crazy emotional for a turian, and she had done very, very badly in the military... but she was a beautiful person. She liked soft, warm colors and flowers. There was nothing wrong with that.

"I'm not a very good turian," Imitha sighed. To lighten the conversation, she asked Rosemary, "So... why are you so into turian guys anyway? You always change the subject."

Rosemary squirmed. "I know, it's just... I've been feeling grossly unattractive in front of turians lately. It's put a damper on my fetish, honestly." It also made handling Balint's advances easier, she admitted quietly to herself. In her mind, he wasn't really flirting with her. He was just a flirtatious guy. It didn't mean anything, she told herself. Rosemary told her friends about the conversation she had heard between the two turian officers.

It was Imitha's turn to look sympathetic. "Aw, sweetie," Imitha soothed.

"Do not assume that all turians don't find humans attractive, Rosemary," Saeli ordered her. "To each their own, as humans say. Are most humans attracted to turians?"

"No... I don't think so."

"But you find them sexy," K'Mohi pressed.

"Yeah..."

The Spectre grinned. "It's the ridges, isn't it?"

 _R-Ridges? Turian... things are ridged?_ Just thinking about it turned Rosemary's face beet-red.

Saeli chuckled. "What I'm trying to say, Rosemary, that there might be turians that are partial to humans, even soft ones."

Rosemary wasn't convinced.

K'Mohi shrugged, and glanced at the stage. The batarian had finished his routine, and an asari came out to clean the stage for the next act. "Why not? Take human men for example? They may not be ridged, but damn, their muscles can be damn sexy. Most turian men are lean and muscled, but the human I sexed last week? He was big, muscular, and _mm!_ "

Rosemary was already impressed with the man, whoever he was, knowing he could keep up with the Spectre.

K'Mohi didn't stop there. "Now that human was really into azure. Damn, what was his name? Weyga? No, Vega. The Normandy's captain. Wouldn't mind bumping into him again..."

All the sex talk was embarrassing Imitha and Rosemary. Saeli looked at them, her mouth quirked. "Sorry, hons. I forgot you two were almost virgins."

Nuni and K'Mohi laughed. "We're not virgins," Rosemary grumbled. "It's just been a... long time."

Nuni snorted. "You're what, twenty-nine? How long has it been?"

"Mm... just over a decade," Rosemary mumbled.

K'Mohi was astounded. "Seriously? Do human parts just close up shop after that long? … You sure you can get it working again?"

"Shut up."

XOXOXOXO

The next morning, the conversation of the previous night lingered in Rosemary's mind. As did the memory of her co-workers talking... Balint was unaware of her mood, and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Rosemary. Sleep well?"

Rosemary grunted.

"Bad night, hm? You should have told me; I would have helped," he teased.

Rosemary snapped. She whirled on Balint, eyes flashing green. "Just STOP IT, okay?! I know I'm not attractive to you, so stop teasing me!"

Balint's mandibles flared with surprise at her angry outburst. "Wait, what?"

She wasn't done. She jabbed him in the chest with her finger, railing, "I know I'm too soft! With... two huge fat globs on my chest! So stop with the flirts, ALL RIGHT?!"

She hadn't yelled like that in a _long_ time. Balint blinked. Then he put down his coffee. He leaned forward on the counter towards her. "What brought this on, Rosemary? Something you heard," he asked, his voice calm.

His calm was catching. Rosemary didn't answer him, though.

"I do happen to find you hot as hell. You're a very attractive woman, and I know you find me attractive," he said, his expression unchanging. "To be honest, I'm surprised we haven't done the deed already. Or are you just a tease?"

Rosemary's heart started beating faster at his words. "I..." She hadn't been ready for this directness. How could she answer him when she herself didn't know the answer? Was she a tease? Rosemary grabbed her key card and side-stepped around Balint. "I... I've got to go."

Flustered, she hurried off to work.

XOXOXOXO

Veracia hassled her all morning, criticizing a stack of reports she had filed. She barely listened. When he finally left her alone, she went to the kitchen to make coffee. She needed some serious de-stressing...

While the coffee brewed on the stone, she looked out the kitchen window, at the buildings across the way. Absentmindedly, she brushed crystals of sugar off the counter, and accidentally brushed some on herself. Then she saw it. A red dot of light on her chest.

Acting on pure instinct, Rosemary fell to the ground just as the glass shattered above her. She winced and grabbed her arm. Her hand came away red. _Damn it_.

Officers ran into the kitchen, guns drawn. Veracia, holding up a pistol, glared down at her. "What did you do, Fletcher?"

Rosemary glared back. "I just shot myself, Veracia. What do you think happened?"

Veracia's eyes flashed with anger. Ignoring him, Rosemary stayed on the floor and connected her omni-tool to Balint's. "I got shot, Balint. I... might need your help."

XOXOXOXO

An hour later, a woman came to escort Rosemary with an emergency meeting with the asari councilor. She was fully armed, a fact which comforted Rosemary at the moment.

"Call me later, Rosemary," Nuni told her, sounding worried. "That's an order."

"Yeah, okay."

"Ms. Fletcher?"

"Yeah, I'm coming." Rosemary's arm throbbed. One of the officers had slapped some medi-gel and a bandage on the graze, but it still stung. She examined her jacket and almost moaned aloud when she saw the tear. _No, no, no...!_ Her favorite jacket. Ruined. She folded it over her arm. Then she saw her boots and almost cried. Blood! On her favorite boots! She knew it was ridiculous to get so emotional over a pair of shoes, but... _Oh..._

Rosemary didn't know why she needed an escort. They were in the embassies, for crying out loud. It was packed with Citadel Security officers. There was even a Spectre here and there. Granted, she had just been shot at, but that had been from a building across the way!

Rosemary tried not to groan when she realized that the escort was taking her to the Citadel Tower the long way, down alleys and side-streets, like the worst sort of shortcut. Her mind paused. _Wait a minute..._ She knew they were heading toward the Tower, but this shortcut was taking a lot of unnecessary turns. When the asari guard glanced back at her, she maintained a bored expression, all the while her mind was buzzing with suspicion. She had assumed that one of councilors would summon her, but had she asked for a badge? Any sort of identification? … No. No, she had not. _Stupid, stupid Rosebush,_ she cursed herself mentally.

They were passing a back-alley bar when a loud, rumbling growl got Rosemary and her escort's attention.  
"Get off of me!" A very large krogan, even large by krogan standards, was growling at a salarian hanging off of his arm, obviously drunk.

"Nnnoooo, noooo... tell me again, your name," the salarian hiccupped.

"None of your business, slug," the krogan snarled.

"I heeeeard your pal sssay your name... isss Mordin. That's a salarian same. I mean... 'name'." The salarian hiccuped again, and giggled.

"My name is Jogh," the krogan gritted out. "My nephew's name is Mordin. A lot of krogans are named Mordin these days."

"That's... f-f-funny," the salarian giggled into the krogan's armor.

"That's it!" Roaring, the krogan threw the salarian against the wall of the bar, where he slumped, unconscious.

Rosemary's escort shook her head at the display and turned back to look at Rosemary. She shouted when she realized she was gone.

Right in the middle of the krogan and salarian's altercation, Rosemary had side-stepped behind a stack of crates and crouched down. She jumped when the krogan threw the salarian, and froze when her eyes met the krogan's. He towered over the crates looking at her. Panicked, she put a finger to her lips and shook her head.

"Bad news," her 'escort' talked into her omni-tool. "I lost Fletcher. I don't know where she could have gone. I turned around and she'd just... vanished! Yeah, I know. No, I don't know how she knew I wasn't legit!"

From between the crates, Rosemary could see the asari pacing. She glanced at the krogan, Jogh. "What are you looking at, tiny," the krogan grunted. The asari quickly walked away. Rosemary let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

Jogh stared down at her. "You're welcome, human."


	9. Ch 9

WARNING! Non-Rosemary-related lemon ahead! Just a sentence or two. Nothing major. Yet.

XOXOXOXO

 **CHAPTER 9**

In the lobby of the Tower, Rosemary was telling Balint everything on her omni-tool. She told him about Jogh, who had offered himself as a real escort, for a 'price'.

"Of course he did," Balint said dryly. "He a merc?"

Rosemary shook her head. "No. He says he goes by Jogh, of the Curd... knot clan?"

"It's Urd-NOT. Urdnot," Jogh grunted. "It's only the ruling clan of Tuchanka, human. Don't you know anything?"

Rosemary rolled her eyes. "Forgive me, oh patronizing one. His name is Jogh, of the Urdnot clan, Balint."

Balint chuckled at her sarcastic tone.

"Ha! You're a funny one," Jogh said, grinning.

"Anyway," Balint said. "Your father, Oliver, and Keeya are home. They're safe. C-Sec dispatched a couple more guards to watch the townhouse."

That made Rosemary feel a _lot_ better. "Oh, good."

"Yeah..."

The sudden awkwardness between Balint and Rosemary was... different. Balint seemed... preoccupied. Distant. She had a sudden worry – had she ruined... whatever they never really had because of earlier? She didn't know how to feel about that possibility. Depressed... a little?

Rosemary looked at her omni-tool. Her father was calling. "I'll call you later, Balint. Dad's calling."

"Rosie!"

Her father's voice was different. Alive... and panicked? "Yeah, Dad?"

"Oh, thank God!" He sounded genuinely relieved. "When Balint told me you had been shot at... I thought the worst. I'm so glad you're safe!"

It took all of Rosemary's self control to keep herself from crying. The last time her father had sounded... like her father was a little more than two years ago, when her mother was alive. "I... I'm fine, Dad. Are... you okay?"

Her father sighed. "No. No I'm not. But I will be. I didn't realize... until I heard you almost got killed how bad I was. Listen, Rosie, when you get home... I need to talk with you and Ollie."

"... Yeah! I think that'd be great!"

"Human," Jogh grunted. "One of the blue people's calling."

Rosemary looked to where he was gesturing, at one of the councilor's guards. She was being summoned. "Look, I've got to go, Dad. We'll talk... later. … Love you, Dad."

"... I love you too, Rosie."

XOXOXOXO

"We have a problem."

Talk about understating the problem, Rosemary mumbled under her breath. "Why would these assassins want me," she asked the asari councilor point-blank. "I'm not a hybrid. I'm just Keeya's guardian. If they wanted to get to her, they would have attacked the house."

The asari councilor nodded. "Yes, we wondered that, too. You are a very ordinary human. Keeya trusts you, and that's the only thing we can think of that makes you special."

 _Gee, thanks._ "What are you going to do?"

The turian councilor tapped his terminal. "Until we find out why you're being targeted, we will have Citadel Security officers watching you."

"But... I work at C-Sec. They're already watching me!" She really didn't want this. She really didn't need anyone babysitting her! It wasn't like Veracia needed another reason to resent her.

The councilors ignored her. "We'll assign you a personal guard. Balint Fortem will continue to guard your family and Keeya D'Usku. You are dismissed."

 _Assholes._

XOXOXOXO

Rosemary flashed her identification at the guards guarding the townhouse. Inside, Oliver and Keeya were playing with the Normandy action figures while another guard watched them. She frowned. Where was Balint? She'd tried calling him on the way home, but he hadn't responded.

"Hi Keeya," Rosemary smiled at the toddler. "Where's Balint?"

The guard watching them suddenly looked nervous. Keeya shrugged, preoccupied with shoving the Grunt action figure into the Normandy's cockpit. "Upstairs with his friend. I think they're in your room."

"Fletcher!"

Rosemary was halfway up the stairs when the guard called out to her. She recognized him as one of the C-Sec officers who regularly took the afternoon shift. She couldn't recall his name. "Yeah?"

"I... wouldn't go up there if I were you."

From the tone of his voice, and the reddening of his skin around his eyes, she got a bad feeling... "Who's up there with Balint?"

The guard had a pitying expression on his plates. "A... friend?"

"A friend."

"A friendly friend?"

Rosemary's breath hitched. No... Balint couldn't be... but they... She almost ran up the rest of the stairs. No... No... She was hearing noises coming in the direction of her room. Moaning, grunting noises. From _her_ room!

"Mm, uh! That feels _so_ good," a feminine turian voice trilled.

Rosemary opened the door, and her heart broke.

Balint was naked, and thrusting into a lithe, light-plated female turian, growling with pleasure. His partner's mandibles were flared as she gasped, clawing at the sheets. She was facing the wall, and couldn't see Rosemary, but Balint had heard the door open. He turned just in time to see Rosemary close the door, her devastation unmasked.

"No... don't stop, Balint!"

"Rosemary!"

She ran.

XOXOXOXO

Ignoring the guard's protests, Rosemary took Keeya and Oliver with her out of the townhouse. The ones that had guarded the door hurried after her. Rosemary took them to the Presidium Commons, to Apollo's Cafe. She ordered them ice cream and sat with them, feeling cold.

Balint had been calling her non-stop. He was calling her now. She asked one of the guards who had been following them to watch the kids as they went through their treats. She walked a few feet away to finally take Balint's call.

"What do you want," she asked him stonily.

"I just wanted to say sorry," he began.

"Who was she?"

Balint hesitated. "A C-Sec officer. She was in charge of your protection detail. We were talking security measures when she noticed... my condition."

"Really? Your condition? That's the best you can come up with?"

"Rose... I'm _not_ human. The sexual tension between us has been, well, tense. She noticed. She used to help me out with it a few years back. That's all she is. A sex partner. Sex is... different for turians than they are for humans."

She knew that. Damn it, she knew that. Humans had casual sex, too. So turians were even more casual about sex. She knew that from living in Little Palaven for almost two years, surrounded by turians. Imitha had mentioned it, too. But it _hurt_. Until now, she hadn't realized she'd wanted more than sex from Balint. Damn it, she _liked_ him.

"Why are you so upset, Rose? We were flirting – it's not like we bonded."

 _Ouch_. "You're an asshole, Balint." She cut off the call. She was glaring at her omni-tool when she noticed a red dot of light on her chest. _Not again!_

This was ridiculous! She ducked to the side – the wall exploded right where she had been. The guard that had been following her grabbed her and shoved her under a table.

"Stay down!"

Rosemary recognized that voice. She was shoved behind the concrete flowerbed that the other guard, Oliver, and Keeya were crouched behind. She turned just in time to see her guard shot in the side. "NO!"

"I said, STAY DOWN!" Rosemary looked through the flowers to see Yadai K'Mohi dart from cover and shoot at someone in the vicinity of the luxury apartments. The Spectre winced when one of the sniper's bullets grazed her leg, ripping through her armor.

"No!"

Keeya screamed. Rosemary gasped as another assassin in dark purple armor sliced at their guard with her assault rifle's omni-tool blade, killing him instantly. She grabbed Keeya's arm.

"Let go of her," Oliver shouted, pulling Keeya's other arm. His eyes flashed green with fear, and rage. The assassin raised her blade again.

"GET THE HELL OFF MY KIDS," Rosemary roared, her eyes blazing green. Something took over her then, a weird, burning energy crackling through her veins.

She charged at the assassin and grabbed the arm holding the gun. Roaring with rage, she threw her clean across the cafe and off the balcony. The assassin screamed on the way down. Rosemary breathed heavily, seeing everything in a red haze. _Kill... again! Kill!_

"Rosemary?" That was Yadai's voice.

"Rosie?"

Oliver's trembling voice was the one to bring Rosemary out of her trance. Shaking her head, she pressed a hand to her temple. She had one hell of a headache piercing her skull.

The Spectre approached her warily. Then she saw Rosemary's face. "Spirits... Rosemary, your eyes!"

Rosemary glanced at her reflection in the nearest window. _What the... hell...?!_

Her eyes were purple. A bright, glowing purple.

"Keeya? Your eyes, too," Oliver murmured, awestruck. Rosemary looked at Keeya. Her eyes were glowing, too.

Rage left Rosemary's body, leaving her weak, and shaky. She looked at her reflection again. They were blue again. Normal blue.

"I'm sorry."

Rosemary looked at Keeya. She looked sheepish, and a little shy. "What are you sorry for, sweetheart?"

"I used you. Like a spatula."

"A what now?"


	10. Ch 10

**CHAPTER 10**

Immediately after the second attack, Rosemary and Keeya were invited to have a private audience with the councilors. They sent an escort of no less than five C-Sec officers. Rosemary checked each and ever one of their identifications. Yadai K'Mohi met them at the Presidium elevator to the Citadel Tower, and instead led them to an office in the embassy cleverly hidden behind a wall with a giant water feature. The skinny hall leading to the room was unlit, and lined with tall, leafy ferns – completely concealing motions of the people traversing it. To all outward appearances, the door to the office looked the unfinished door to a maintenance closet.

All three councilors were waiting for them in the room, along with a fourth person – a human.

"Rosemary Fletcher, may I present to you the new human councilor – Russell Eastment."

Rosemary's eyebrows shot all the way to her hairline. They got a councilor? She didn't know much about politics, but that topic had been the subject of heated intergalactic debate since the last one had tried to take over the Citadel. And who was Russell Eastment? She'd never heard the name before... but really, she could count on one hand the names of human politicians she knew. She didn't really keep up with the news. She was more of a crime drama person...

Russell Eastment was a dark-skinned man in his fifties, solid and politician-y. Grey at the temples, well-groomed, expensive suit... She wondered if he had the politician smile – because he wasn't smiling now.

"I wish we could have met under better circumstances, Ms. Fletcher," Eastment said. The calm but warm tone of his voice suggested a kindly nature, but his manner was all business, and stern. "You and young Keeya are the first to hear of my appointment. Keep it that way for at least a week. Now... about this assassin business. I have convinced my fellow councilors to bring you into the intellectual fold, so to speak. It is a matter that will not be kept under wraps much longer, anyway."

The salarian councilor nodded. "We have been watching you, Ms. Fletcher. Commander K'Mohi has assured us of your integrity and general strength of character."

Rosemary's shoulders drooped. K'Mohi had been spying... on her? That... hurt.

"The truth is... we were aware of the possibility of Keeya... using you as a conduit," the asari councilor admitted. "We were curious as to the results."

Rosemary was astounded... and a little bit angry to hear this. "How...? You knew it could happen? I don't even know how it happened! Or even what it exactly is!"

Eastment shared her sentiment. "I was... not happy to hear that a human was being used in a synthesis experiment. When I discovered the Council's intentions, they offered me full disclosure and... this position for my silence."

Rosemary frowned. "You're not a politician?"

"I am... of sorts. I was formerly Admiral Eastment, of the Gawain Fleet."

Now the Gawain Fleet, Rosemary had heard of. It was supposedly a small navy squadron of Normandy class frigates, employing high-end stealth technology and Tantalus drive cores. It was also rumored to be the flock that the Normandy SR-2 flew with these days – or so Oliver had told her. Her brother, along with his entire generation, was _obsessed_ with _the_ Normandy and the War of the Reapers heroes.

Eastment's brows rose at her expression. "I see you've heard of it. I'm impressed."

Rosemary shrugged. "I have a little brother," was all she said to that. "So... what exactly did Keeya do to me?"

"I'm sorry," Keeya whispered. She shrunk even further into the shadows, trying to make herself as small as possible. Rosemary didn't let her. She drew the little girl close.

"I don't blame you," Rosemary whispered back. She doubted very much that the child had intentionally experimented on her. She was three, for crying out loud.

"She can't control it," the asari councilor confirmed. "We suspected that if she felt threatened, and if there was a suitable vessel nearby – she could impart her excess energies to that vessel."

Rosemary found that hard to believe. "But when the first assassin attacked, nothing like this happened. I was there, as was Garrus Vakarian."

"Yes, that confused us as well..."

Keeya peered out from behind Rosemary. "I didn't know them. I didn't... bond with them. I didn't know I could do it until you told me." Her face wrinkled. "If I could... have... saved... mama," Keeya broke into tears.

Her heart breaking for her little Keeya, Rosemary picked her up and stroked her back. "Shh, shh. It's okay, Keeya. You didn't know. Shh..." She glared at the councilors. How could they have told all that to a three-year-old? They had to have known that Keeya would eventually blame herself for her mother's death, given enough time to think. She was three!

The turian councilor looked remorseful. "There are thousands of hybrids now. The synthetic energy they possess is double that of a normal person's. They usually manifest during a traumatic experience. For Keeya, that was when... she and her mother were attacked. Two is very young – too young to house those energies. Her body would... not have been able to contain them."

In other words... Keeya could have been blown apart. Rosemary held Keeya tighter. "And now?"

"We had one of our doctors examine her right after the most recent attack. Her energies are at a normal level now. Our scientists believe that they will build up again – but it may take months, or even years. This is a very new area of study. You were also... examined," the salarian councilor reluctantly informed her.

"Excuse me?"

"When she was... grabbed by the assassin, her adrenaline levels peaked, and her body subconsciously transferred half of her energies to you."

Keeya's head lifted from Rosemary's shoulder. "N-No," she whispered. "Down, please," she asked Rosemary. Rosemary put her down. Keeya faced the councilors, her lower lip trembling.

"I'm right here," Rosemary assured her quietly, keeping her hand on Keeya's back.

Keeya nodded her head. "I... chose to give the fizzy feelings to Rosemary. I trust her. I also... gave some to Ollie."

The asari councilor looked panicked. "K'Mohi, bring the Fletcher boy to one of our doctors immediately," she barked into her omni-tool.

"Right away, councilor," K'Mohi's voice replied.

Keeya looked at Rosemary. "I'm really sorry."

Rosemary couldn't feel mad. She gently patted the little girl's crest. "Don't be, sweetheart. Thank you for trusting me with... the fizzy feelings."

"We believe it's permanent."

Rosemary's head shot up. She stared at Eastment, shocked. "Wait, what?!"

"Your levels were checked. Somehow, your body is retaining those energies," Eastment told her regretfully. "As of yet, they don't seem to have an adverse effect on your body... but time will tell."

Rosemary closed her eyes. _Great_. Her head was starting to hurt. "So... what does this mean for me?"

"In time, you may learn to manipulate those energies, but for now... your skin will randomly have plate-like toughness. You will probably have bursts of krogan-relative strength when the situation calls for it."

 _Lovely_.

"We... also know why they're after you."

 _That_ got her attention. "Why?"

"You have to understand," the turian councilor explained. "The synthesization is a very new field of science. We don't have many experts. But from what we can tell, you are a rare specimen. You can take in excess energy from those who cannot fully control them – children. We don't know how the people who sent the assassins knew of your unique physiology... You would have to have been mentally analyzed by a synthesis expert – most likely, an asari. Like I said, we don't have many of them."

Rosemary's blood froze. She had melded with only one asari...

"Saeli," she whispered.

"Saeli T'Garu, the matriarch?" The asari councilor frowned. "Yes, she's one of the experts. How did you know?"

Realizing Saeli's betrayal... and the extent of it was staggering. It was hard to think. "I... During the invasion, I was attacked and bitten by a husk. For a long time after it, it... gave me a lot of pain. Saeli tended to me. She... melded with me so she could have a better idea of how to help me. It only happened once, but she's the only asari I've ever melded with."

The room was silent. When Rosemary looked up, the asari councilor looked shocked and disbelieving. "T'Garu couldn't have... But if Benezia could..." she trailed off.

"This is disturbing news," the salarian council said, sounding grave. "T'Garu is one of our foremost synthesis experts."

"She is also a Justicar," the asari councilor murmured, still in shock. The other councilors stared. Tevos shook her head. "Rosemary Fletcher... you need to run."

"But Keeya, my family..."

"They'll come with you. But you need to run. Now."

XOXOXOXO

Rosemary only had five hours before she and her family left for... wherever the Council planned on stashing them. She had only made one call – to Imitha. Imitha had been tearful when she learned that Rosemary was leaving.

"But the store...! Wakey Brews! I can't run it myself!"

Rosemary sighed. She couldn't be on the run forever. "I won't be gone for too long, I think. Maybe a month? Or two?" She didn't know what arrangement the Council was planning for the safety of the hybrids or herself. The turian councilor had assured her that she would be returning to the Citadel, but until they took measures to keep the hybrids _and_ her safe, she had to run. She hadn't known that Saeli was so dangerous. The betrayal still left a bitter taste in her mind. She had been friends with Saeli for two years. Two years! She had comforted Rosemary on the loss of her mother, her father... she had been like an elder sister to her. And the whole time, she had been... spying on her? Rosemary wondered if she had been the one to order the hit on her. She couldn't put it past her. She didn't even know Saeli, the Justicar

The townhouse was empty when she got to it. She was relieved to see that Balint had left. She looked blankly at her made bed. At least he cleaned up after he was done, she thought sourly. But where were the other guards...? And more importantly, where had the Council spirited Keeya to? And where was Oliver, and her father?

In the middle of her packing, Yadai K'Mohi appeared at her bedroom door. Oliver was with her.

"Ollie!"

"Rosie!"

Rosemary hugged her brother tight. "I was so worried about you!" Then she felt wetness on her shoulder. She pulled away from Oliver to look at his face, which was ravaged with tears. "Ollie? What's wrong?"

A cold weight settled in her stomach. Had something else happened? "Yadai – what happened," she asked the asari.

The Spectre looked grim. She looked away, unwilling to look at Rosemary's face. "Rosemary – I'm sorry. We were too late. T'Garu... Saeli T'Garu got your father."

Rosemary wouldn't believe it. She couldn't. Her limbs started to shake. "She got him? What do you mean? Did she... Did she k-kidnap him?"

"He's dead, Rosemary. I'm sorry."

"Rosie!"

Oliver wailed as he held his sister, collapsed on the floor.


	11. Ch 11

**CHAPTER 11**

"She's been in there, for what... a week?" Commander James Vega of the Normandy leaned against the wall near the elevator, crossing his arms. He didn't look like it, though. Despite his rank, he still wore a plain shirt and standard-issue tactical pants. Well, he barely even wore even that; his shirt was obviously strained, in a half-hearted attempt to contain his muscles.

"She is grieving, Muscles," the ship's AI said, stating the obvious. "Traynor gave me her file. She lost her mother during the war. The asari who provided her emotional support just killed her father. I believe this particular period of mourning will extend past a single week."

Vega made a face. "Well, yeah. I know that. And don't call me Muscles. You say it weird."

"Well, your muscles are ridiculous," the ship's pilot, Joker, pointed out.

The Commander rolled his eyes. "Look, it's fine when some sexy lady's sayin' it, but coming from you, Joker? You don't mean it. It... hurts my feelings."

The pilot snorted. "Ha ha."

Vega grinned. "I mean, you're hot, EDI – but you're obviously not into real men. You know... macho... and hot."

Joker punched Vega's shoulder. "Can it, Muscles."

"Was that supposed to hurt, Shrimpy?"

"You know, she can hear us," EDI informed them.

"Who can?"

"Rosemary Fletcher and the children with her," EDI said, looking smug. "CARD is with Oliver. He has taken a liking to him, and has been broadcasting everything to the room."

The Commander immediately stood up straighter. "Oh, come on, now. That's just creepy."

It was Joker's turn to make a face. "I still think CARD's a stupid name."

EDI cocked her head. "Communications Access and Remote Directory is a fitting designation for this particular AI."

"His name's still CARD. I just think it's weird."

Vega shuddered. "You know what's weird? You two having a baby and naming it CARD."

Joker shrugged. "Technically, EDI did _all_ the work. She created his programming all by herself."

EDI frowned. "While we have consummated our relationship, our mating had yet to produce an offspring. Although, given recent information, a hybrid child _is_ possible."

Vega just stared. "What?"

"I scanned Jeff's brain, and merged randomized personality traits from both of us. Using myself as a template, I inputted that data to produce CARD. I thought you would like the name. It is a tribute to your familiar name: Joker."

Vega laughed. "She's got you there, Shrimpy. Heh... CARD... It's not funny, but still kinda funny." Then he looked mildly disturbed again. "But still... an AI making another AI?"

"He is our baby," EDI said simply.

Joker smiled and put his arms around EDI's waist. "That he is."

"Ugh! Get a room!"

XOXOXOXO

Rosemary smiled for the first time in a week. The exchange between the ship's pilot, Commander, and AI was quite amusing.

She stretched out on the bed and looked at the ceiling. She'd been on the Normandy for a full week now. _Dad's... gone._ Her heart hurt. He'd died just when it had seemed he'd finally come to his senses. She turned her head to look at the table next to the bed, where the urn containing her father's ashes rested. That was all that was left of him. Just... ash. She felt like crying, but she'd run out of tears some time ago. Curling in on herself, she closed her eyes. The skin around her eyes were raw, and red. She was just... so... tired.

It had been nice of Commander Vega to give up his cabin. He was an intimidating giant of a man, but sweet. She put her arm around the curled form of her brother. He had fallen asleep, crying his little heart out again. Looking at him, she knew... she couldn't just give up. She looked at Oliver and at Keeya, sleeping next to him. Keeya had fallen asleep hugging Oliver, trying to take away his pain. She had to keep going... for them.

Knowing what she had to do, Rosemary got up.

"Do you want to see more," A young, synthetic voice asked.

Rosemary smiled at the metallic orb floating a little above her head. "No thanks, CARD. I appreciate it, though." She'd asked the AI for a virtual tour of the ship, not to eavesdrop on a private conversation – but he had gotten bored. He really was like a child, she thought, smiling to herself.

She went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. _I look like crap_. She breathed in her hand and sniffed. _Ugh. I smell like it, too._

She showered, lotioned, and put on one of her clean black dresses. She dipped her fingers in the jar of coconut oil Lieutenant Cortez had thoughtfully procured for her and ran the oil through her hair. Running a wide-tooth comb through her curls, she started to relax. She looked at herself in the mirror again. _Much better_. With her curls tamed and shining, she felt much better – like she could face the world again.

Determination was all well and good, but _how_ would she do it? Her whole world had been up-ended. She didn't know who to trust. First Balint, then K'Mohi, who had spied on her... then Saeli. Just thinking about the Justicar heated her blood with rage. She closed her eyes and focused her breathing. _Breathe... just breathe._

Saeli T'Garu had never been her friend. What she was – was a monster.

Rosemary had talked to one person that week – Yadai K'Mohi. She had dragged the ugly truth from her – of how exactly her father had died. Saeli had thrown her father's guards like rag dolls, breaking their bodies against the walls of the townhouse. She... had smashed her father's skull into the pavement just outside the door. When she had heard that – she'd had to be held down by K'Mohi and Vega. From the footage CARD had so kindly provided her, she'd seen herself... go crazy. Her eyes had flashed green, then purple and the sound that had ripped from her own throat... She hadn't recognized herself. She had sounded like a raging beast... angry... and pained.

Oliver was still in shock. Losing their father had devastated him, but he had overheard K'Mohi telling Rosemary how he had died – and it had broken him. Saeli had been like an older sister to Rosemary, but she had been like a second mother to Oliver. It chilled Rosemary to the bone, thinking of how often Saeli had babysat Oliver over the years.

Rosemary leaned on the sink, struggling to regain her composure. Something inside her had turned to stone – and she didn't know if she liked that.

Rosemary went back into the main area of the cabin and saw Keeya hug Oliver tight. "I'm sorry, Ollie," she cried. No matter what Rosemary said, Keeya blamed herself for everything that had happened. She cried all the time now. Rosemary went to her.

"He'll be fine... in time, Keeya," she told the toddler. She had to believe that Oliver would be fine. She needed him. She needed them both.

"I will be fine, Keeya."

Keeya started crying again. Rosemary almost burst into tears, herself. Oliver was sitting up on the bed, pale... but alive. He looked at his sister. "You're going out?"

Rosemary nodded. "I need to get to work," she told him. He deserved the truth. "We can't live our lives... hiding and grieving. Mom... and Dad wouldn't have wanted that. We can't stay on the run."

Oliver agreed with her. "I want to go back to the Citadel. It's our home, now."

"We'll get back," Rosemary promised. She looked at CARD. "Take care of him, will you, CARD? At least... as well as you can," she teased the AI.

"I may be just a metallic ball now," CARD said, sounding offended. "But my maternal unit, EDI, says she's going to make me a body soon. A humanoid one, too."

Oliver shook his head. "That's still... weird. You having a mother. No offense, CARD."

"Offense taken!"

"It's 'cause you're a 'pooter," Keeya explained to the AI. "We didn't know 'pooters have mothers."

Rosemary smiled a little.

"Your ignorance is understandable," CARD agreed. "But EDI tells me to call her 'mother'. My paternal unit, my 'father', closes his eyes and mutters to himself every time. I believe it's an organic custom."

After checking her appearance one more time, Rosemary left the cabin. She saw Vega standing near the elevator. Feeling shy, she thanked him again for giving her family the use of his cabin.

Vega shrugged. "It's really no problem. Kinda prefer the shuttle bay. I really do. The captain's cabin has always been too... fancy for my tastes."

The cabin door opened and Keeya peeked her head out. "There are no fish! CARD says there were fish in the water box. Where are the fish?"

Vega smiled. "Sorry, kid. They kept dyin' on me after the VI fritzed."

"Stay in the room, Keeya. I'll be back in a little bit."

The Commander went with her down to the Crew Deck. She was feeling hungry, and went to the mess hall. Feeling intensely awkward with several members of the crew staring, or trying too hard not to stare, Rosemary decided to take her meal to the lounge.

Garrus was already there, drinking by himself. It was nice to see a familiar face.

"Hey, now," Vega chided the turian. "You're on duty, soldier."

"You're one to talk," Garrus scoffed. "Cortez says you threw a couple back after every single mission down in the shuttle bay."

Vega grimaced. "Yeah... but I'm the boss now, right? Gotta be big on protocol."

"Then you're in luck. Because I'm not Alliance."

Vega threw up his hands. "Fine! You win. Don't know why Hackett let you stay on the Normandy, anyway," he grumbled. "War's over, you know. This is an Alliance ship. _My_ ship."

"Yeah, keep thinking that."

Feeling that the argument could get worse before it got better, Rosemary interrupted them with, "How's Imitha, Garrus?"

Garrus blinked. "She's... fine. Well, she's floundering, really. Refuses to open Wakey Brews without you."

Rosemary sighed. "She'll be fine with a little direction."

"Yeah, yours. Why haven't you called her? She's been worried."

"Okay! This has nothing to do with me, so this is me... backing out of the room." The door almost closed before Vega walked in again. "Oh, almost forgot – We need to talk in the war room as soon as possible. Will you guys be done in an hour?"

"Why not? Sure."

"Remember – war room after you guys talk! No calibrating, or whatever you do in the battery, Garrus!"

Garrus only smiled. Vega nodded. "Right. I've got some calls to make. Stay here with Rosemary, okay, Garrus?"

Rosemary didn't want to put anybody out. "I don't need..."

"Hey, it's not easy losing someone. You take all the space you need, but you shouldn't be alone. Right. See you two soon."

Vega left. Rosemary smiled, grateful for the Commander's kindness. "He's sweet," she said quietly.

"Woah, there," Garrus teased. "I thought you were sweet on Balint?"

She frowned. "Who told you... Oh. Imitha." She sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." He didn't say anything after a moment. Then he activated his omni-tool. "Let's talk about Imitha, then. She sent over a list of Wakey Brews' things to look over. It's a few dozen pages long... Let's start with how many plungers do you think she should order? She has some concerns over the rancid nature of vorcha waste."

"Ew! No! Okay, let's talk about Balint! You win!" _Nastiness!_

Garrus grinned. "I always do."


	12. Ch 12

**CHAPTER 12**

"I walked in on Balint having sex with an old sex... partner. On my bed."

Rosemary looked up to see zero sympathy on Garrus' face. He looked... confused. "The bed part was rude, yeah, but... is that it?"

Rosemary scowled, frustrated. "I know turians have a lot of casual sex, but come on!"

Garrus rolled his eyes. Rosemary noticed they were blue, like his sister's. "You can't hold turian customs to your human standards. We're two different _races,_ different cultures. Can't you respect both of them?"

She didn't want to admit it, but she could see reason in what he was saying. She still didn't like it. "I didn't like seeing him with someone else," she admitted.

"Well, yeah. That's why you make compromises."

"You... sound like you're speaking from experience."

Garrus hesitated. "You... have no idea. Shepard... Emma had a jealous streak a mile long." He leaned back and had a faraway look on his face, remembering. Rosemary waited until he was ready. She knew he didn't like talking about Shepard. No one on the Normandy did, as far as she could tell from CARD's surveillance. "There was this female in a Citadel casino... turian, like me. Smoldering eyes, trim waist... Never mind. Point is, Emma got jealous. Like she wanted to blow the other female's head off."

Rosemary's eyes widened. "Would she have?"

"Not over that. But she might have found a reason to," Garrus admitted. "People on Emma's shit list had a tendency to get into bad situations."

She wanted to hear the rest of the story. "So... how did you compromise?"

Garrus cleared his throat. He was careful not to look at Rosemary when he continued, "She, uh... confronted the other female, I think her name was Nisara – and they had it out. Hand-to-hand combat, of course – no guns." Garrus' subvocals had taken on a strange note – like a purr and a growl mixed together.

"And?"

"It was our first threesome."

"AcK!"

Garrus grinned and thumped Rosemary on the back. She'd chosen the wrong moment to take a bite of her sandwich. Once her pipes were clear, she pushed away the rest of her meal. With the direction the story was going – eating could become a health hazard. She couldn't hide her confusion. "But you loved Shepard."

Garrus inclined his head. "Yeah, but with Nisara... it was just sex. Sex can be amazing."

From what she remembered, sex had been a pretty great way to pass the time. Still... to have sex with someone with no strings? No promise of a future? She'd never... really thought about it. Was it possible to separate feelings from sex? Garrus had pretty much said it was, but it was still an alien concept to her sheltered self.

"How long has it been for you, anyway?"

Rosemary shrugged. "A while. I'm rusty," she told him honestly. "I watch a lot of vids."

Garrus laughed, and Rosemary laughed with him. It was nice, talking candidly with someone like this. It was different, though, talking sex with another guy. A really attractive guy. She could feel herself getting warm.

Their omni-tools pinged. "Yo, girlfriends," Vega's voice called out. "Sorry about cutting it short, but it's war room time. Everyone's here."

"Right. Shall we?"

Garrus and Rosemary walked out of the lounge, both more relaxed than they'd been in a while.

XOXOXOXO

Yadai was waiting for them by the elevator.

"May I speak with Rosemary for a minute," she asked.

Garrus looked at Rosemary. She nodded. "Go ahead, Garrus. We'll catch up."

Yadai pulled her to the side, just outside the door to the scanner. She got right to the point. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for spying on you. I understand why you're angry."

She wasn't really angry at the Spectre, more disappointed. She decided to be equally honest with K'Mohi. "I was just disappointed. I thought we were becoming friends."

Yadai's shoulders slumped. "We were, I mean... I was told to keep an eye on you, but I really do like you as a person. Love your coffee. Nuni said you were good people, and well, it's fun teasing you."

She heard that a lot. "What do you want, K'Mohi?"

The Spectre's smile was wry. "I want us to try to be friends again. Real ones this time."

Rosemary thought about it. K'Mohi seemed sincere, and who couldn't do with another friend? And her betrayal had been the least damaging one, if she could be honest with herself. "I think... I might like that."

"Oh, good." They got scanned together and had just walked through the door to the conference room. "Oh, and one more thing?"

"Hm?"

"Could you call me by my name? My first one. It's Yadai," the Spectre informed her.

Rosemary hesitated. "Are you sure? Seems disrespectful and well..."

"Rosemary Fletcher, are you afraid of me?"

"Slightly terrified," Rosemary assured her. "You are a Spectre, and all. It's kind of your job to kill people."

"I only kill bad guys, not my friends," Yadai defended herself.

"Doesn't make you less terrifying."

"Get off it. You're a killer too, remember?"

Rosemary didn't want to think about it. "No, I'd rather not."

XOXOXOXO

In the War Room, Rosemary was introduced to Kaiden Alenko, another Spectre.

Garrus shook his head. "Two Spectres. Don't you hotshots have your own ships?"

Vega and K'Mohi grinned. Alenko was definitely the most serious of the lot. He shook his head and projected a map in the middle of the group. "We just got some new intel on the assassins. They call themselves 'Divide'."

Alenko's fellow Spectre, K'Mohi, leaned forward. "And their agenda?"

"They... disapprove of the fact that pretty much all sentient beings of the galaxy are now connected... compatible with each other. They're afraid their culture and bloodlines will be lost," Alenko explained.

"They are afraid of change."

Everyone turned. The voice belonged to an asari that had quietly entered the room. She was taller than K'Mohi, and wore red, intricately-patterned armor. She regally inclined her head in greeting to Rosemary and K'Mohi. "I am called Samara."

"Good to have you here, Samara," Alenko greeted her.

K'Mohi bowed her head in respect to the asari. "It is an honor to make your acquaintance," she said formally.

Rosemary stared at the asari Spectre. This was the most polite she had ever seen Yadai K'Mohi. She looked at Garrus, a question in her eyes.

He understood. "Samara is a Justicar."

Another one? Rosemary eyed Samara warily. She had never really asked, so this was about as good a time as any... "What's a... Justicar again?"

"They are members of an ancient monastic order," K'Mohi told Rosemary. ", that follow a strict and precise honor code. Justicars are highly respected among the asari."

Rosemary had only known one Justicar, and that one had killed her father. "And Saeli...?"

Samara's silvery blue eyes turned icy. "Saeli T'Garu cannot be called a true Justicar. She has perverted the Code, twisting it to service her own corrupt agenda. She is a rogue and a slayer of innocents."

"Did you know her personally," Rosemary asked, needing to know.

Samara slowly nodded. "Saeli was... my friend. She trained me in the ways of the Justicar. She reached out to me once – recently, in an attempt to turn me to her cause. She sees the hybrids as abominations of justice – a result of the sinful synthesization."

Alenko frowned. "And you can go against her?"

Samara straightened. "I had great respect for Saeli. But she has dishonored the Code. I will cleanse her soul of the corruption through death." Samara's tone was hard, and cold.

"Damn," Vega whispered.

Kaiden Alenko turned his attention back to the data. "What we need to do now... There has to be more like Rosemary – those that can absorb the excess energies of young hybrids. The problem is finding them. Hybrids are rare enough, but they number in the thousands. What Rosemary is, the Council has named them Unique Energy Facilitators – UEF's – must be even rarer. But how rare? Are there hundreds like her? Dozens? A handful?"

 _I'm right here_ , she felt like saying – but didn't. They had bigger problems. Alenko was right. Finding others like her – UEF's (Reapers, that sounded silly even in her mind) – would be problematic. But Keeya had somehow known she was one... kind of. "I could talk to Keeya, ask her what she knows."

"I could talk to her," Samara offered. "If she will let me, I can meld with her, and find out how and why she chose you as a vessel."

That was a good idea. Rosemary nodded her assent.

"Feels good to be doing something," Alenko said, sounding relieved.

XOXOXOXO

Rosemary felt like she wasn't doing anything. She went to the lounge after the meeting to brood. Saeli must have been laughing at her the entire time she had pretended to be her 'friend'. She must have thought Rosemary a ridiculously easy mark. Just thinking of Saeli cut Rosemary deep.

What was she going to do? All she could do was make coffee. Everyone but EDI and CARD loved her for it, but that was it. Sure, she had krogan strength every once in a while, but that ability was extremely unreliable.

She couldn't be on the run for the rest of her life. Besides, there was a new Wakey Brews to open. If she could, she would be hunting and annihilating the Divide... but she wasn't a Shepard. It wasn't like she could storm into Divide central headquarters and blow it up like Shepard had done to Cerberus. True, it had been Shepard AND the Alliance who had taken down Cerberus... but she wasn't even a soldier.

The door to the lounge opened, and Garrus walked in. "Was Kaiden here?"

"No."

"Ah, it can wait. He hates it when I talk battery maintenance, anyway." He sat down next to her. "What are you thinking? You have that look."

Just with him being near, Rosemary felt relaxed, and safe. Still, she hoped she wasn't overstepping her bounds when she dared to ask, "Garrus... what was Shepard like?"

Garrus was silent for a moment. He didn't look upset, much to Rosemary's relief. "She was... beautiful. Tough." His mandibles shifted in a smile. "Sexy as hell, too... for a human."

Again with the 'human' thing, Rosemary thought, rolling her eyes. "Are humans really that strange? Are breasts that weird?"

The turian laughed. "That depends who you ask. What do you like about turians?"

Yadai's voice echoed in her head – _ridges!_ Ignoring that voice, Rosemary shrugged, trying to appear nonplussed. "Well, judging from the turians I know... they're straightforward. Tall, with really nice voices. And the fringes on males look regal – primal."

Garrus smiled at her honesty. "You're not as shy as you used to be."

Rosemary shrugged again. "Don't see much point to it anymore." With everything that had been going on, there seemed to be less reason to be concerned with how others viewed her. This new viewpoint was freeing, but still new. "Was I really that shy?"

"Virgin-shy," Garrus confirmed.

Rosemary scoffed. "I haven't been a virgin for a long time, Garrus." Virgins were pretty rare nowadays, too. "Not that many virgins these days. Is it the same with turians?"

"Most turians enter boot camp at fifteen. A lot of us were teenagers – very rebellious. Sex was a very enjoyable outlet for teenage frustration. We're also naturally sexual creatures. We're not very shy about sex. We just don't like mingling it with business."

Balint hadn't seemed to get that memo, she thought wryly. Despite herself, she wondered what that turian was doing now.

"Yadai told me you're practically a virgin. You only had sex once, right?"

 _That rat._ Annoyed, Rosemary tried not to sound defensive. "Yeah, why?"

"Exactly. Why? You're not unattractive and your beasts are nice and large."

Rosemary had to smile. "They're called breasts, Garrus."

"Right. Those. They seem to hold human men captive. Vega's been eyeing them since you came aboard."

Rosemary laughed. Vega walked into the lounge just in time to hear the last part of Garrus' statement. "Hey! Not cool man," he protested. He looked embarrassed, and like he was debating on leaving the room already.

Garrus ignored him. "Well?"

Rosemary didn't know what he wanted to hear. "I kind of like being a wallflower. I don't dress provocatively on purpose. I guess I am the shy kind."

Garrus' grin was slow. "Ah. So you like to watch. That's fine. I don't judge."

Vega burst into laughter. Rosemary punched Garrus on the arm, then promptly rubbed her knuckles. His damn armor had been in the way. "You are such an ass, Garrus," she said. But she was smiling.


	13. Ch 13

**CHAPTER 13**

Rosemary watched Garrus and Vega spar in the shuttle bay, fascinated. Both were fast, and while Vega packed more in his punches, Garrus was faster. She admired the way he darted his body away from Vega's fists, getting away most of the times. They had been going for a while, now... while Rosemary had just watched. Yes, she was a creeper. It was who she was, and she had long accepted that fact.

Admiring Vega's sweaty body and the way Garrus bared his teeth in a feral grin was all well and good for heating Rosemary's blood – but right now, other thoughts overwhelmed her carnal ones.

She could only imagine what a fighter Shepard had been. From the vids she'd seen and the articles she'd read, Shepard had been one hell of a soldier. It had been rare to see images of the Commander without her helmet, but Rosemary remembered her as being beautiful, too. But it was her spirit that had impressed Rosemary and Oliver the most.

Saving the Council, clearing Tali'Zorah vas Normandy of treason charges, uplifting the geth, saving her crew from the Collectors, destroying the Collector base, curing the genophage... the list went on and on. Shepard had been a being of power, and she had used her influence to shape the tides of galactic society. _She_ wasn't a Shepard. She was just... Rosemary.

She studied Garrus. To Garrus, Shepard hadn't been a hero. She'd been just... Emma. First and foremost, she'd been just a woman to him. His woman.

She wanted to fight. Sure, she had krogan strength now, but she didn't know how to utilize it properly. She could learn how to... Rosemary slumped. She knew herself to know that she could persuade herself to learn how to defend herself... but nothing beyond that. She didn't have the stomach for it. The sight of blood had a way of bringing the contents of her stomach up, through her throat and mouth, and onto whatever poor soul or object that happened to be in front of her.

She'd had that problem when volunteering to clean up the Citadel too, post-war. Saeli had put her on the terminals, to identify the recovered bodies. Rosemary stirred. She could do that now, too. She left the shuttle bay to go up to the CIC.

Traynor was at her usual station.

"Ms. Traynor?"

Traynor smiled at Rosemary. "Please. It's just 'Traynor' or 'Sam'. Can I help you, Ms. Fletcher?"

"Yes, you can... Sam. But please – call me Rosemary. Or Rose. Or Rosie."

"Gotcha," Traynor grinned. "So what can I help you with, Rose?"

Rosemary fidgeted. "So I hear... from... people, that you can... find stuff... on stuff... in some sort of magic way... on your terminal?"

Traynor laughed. "It's hardly magic," she teased. "And yes... I can find 'stuff' on 'stuff' for you. What do you need?"

"I want to find Saeli T'Garu."

The Communications Specialist turned serious on heeding that. "Yeah, Alenko's been on me for that. So's the Council. Problem is – it's not like there's a database on Justicars. They're surprisingly old fashioned. I wouldn't be surprised if they kept their records on _paper_. Can you imagine that?"

"I was close to her. I may be able to help."

Traynor straightened. "Any information you have would be a great deal of help. What did she tell you about herself?"

Rosemary closed her eyes and focused on her memories. "I know she spent most of her maiden years in Omega, stripping."

"That's not much of a lead," Yadai said, walking up behind the two humans. "Nearly every asari shake their maiden years away."

"She was a mercenary for a time, before settling down and having a family. She had two daughters, who became Huntresses. They died in the War. She then had an authoritative position in repairing the Citadel."

Yadai frowned. "Yeah, that's pretty much what Samara told us. Did she tell you anything else? Any planet she was fond of?"

"She was born and raised on Thessia, and spent most of her mercenary years around Omega. But... she had a soft spot for Lymetis. It's where she lived with her mate, and raised her daughters. She often spoke of her house there. It was small, but she had multiple greenhouses." One of Saeli's passions was growing flowers. She had spent a lot of her free time on Earth visiting gardens and conservatories.

Yadai's eyes widened. "We didn't know _that_."

"Yes, I could use that..." Traynor murmured. "Anything else?"

Alenko and Samara had joined them around the CIC, listening in. Rosemary sighed. "Not really. From her stories, she was kind of bloodthirsty during her time as a mercenary. I thought that kind of went hand in hand with being part of the Blood Pack."

Samara stilled. "Blood Pack?"

Yadai shook her head. "That's impossible. Blood Pack started out pure vorcha, before it got taken over by battlemaster Ganar Wrang. Even now, they only take on krogan and vorcha."

Rosemary shrugged. "It's what she told me. I really don't know much about space gangs."

"Heh. 'Space gangs'. Sounds like a kid's cartoon show," Traynor snickered.

Rosemary smiled. Samara looked deep in thought. "Fascinating. I had always assumed she'd been in Eclipse."

Yadai was excited. "We could use this! Good! I'm tired of doing nothing!"

"Well, we're doing something now," Alenko said, stepping forward. "We've got the location of two hybrids – in need of immediate extraction."

"Where," Yadai asked.

"Illium."

XOXOXOXO

"Why am I here again," Rosemary asked for what had to be the third time, at least.

"Because I'd miss you," Yadai said cheekily.

"Will someone give me a real answer?"

Rosemary, Yadai, and Alenko were in one shuttle, and Samara, Vega, and Garrus in another. EDI had stayed behind on the Normandy with Traynor, monitoring their progress and alerts from a safe distance.

Alenko had barely told them anything. Most of what he said had been in quarrel with Vega. "Hey man," Vega had protested. "I'm the Normandy's Commander – and I want to know what we're about to fly into."

"Oh yeah," Alenko had countered. "Well, I'm... a Spectre."

"That means nothin' on my ship, cabron!"

"Dick-measuring idiots," Yadai muttered. Rosemary chuckled. "Wasting our time on that shit. So not we're in a shuttle, getting ready to... feel free to jump in, Alenko. I'm a Spectre too, and you don't see me flinging that shit around."

Alenko shrugged, looking sheepish. "Actually, I know close to nothing. Didn't want to tell Vega that, though. All I know is there are hybrids down there. Needs our help. I wanted two teams because they could be at one of two locations."

Yadai rolled her eyes. "Idiot."

Rosemary agreed. "What kind of hybrids?"  
"Salarian-human mix. The other's a turian-human. Both sets of parents killed. My gut says it's Divide."

"But how did they find them?"

"I know close to nothing," Alenko said again. "We're here for the hybrids, and the one who sent the distress call – a fellow Spectre."

Yadai's head shot up. "Name?"

"Jondum Bau."

Yadai cursed. "Jondum? Damn it, we have to find him."

Rosemary was confused. "Wait... there's already a Spectre here?"

"Did you think the Council was doing nothing about this problem?"

Yeah... she had thought that. _Great, now I feel guilty._

To escape the heat of the planet's surface, Illium's skyscrapers crawled against the rosy expanse of the sunset – a marvel of arcology architecture.

Yadai was now tapped into the communications between Alenko and Bau. "Jondum – where are you?"

"Yadai," a weak voice crackled on her omni-tool. "Damn. Not you."

"Shut it, Jondom. Give us your coordinates."

"... Promise not to blow up any buildings on the way? Don't think I could survive that."

Alenko and Yadai exchanged smirks. "No promises."

As Bau relayed his position, Rosemary tapped her chest armor with trepidation. This was the first time she'd worn armor in her life. Lieutenant Cortez had assured her that Kassa Fabrication Armor prioritized shields, and that it was in good condition for a five-year-old model. It took a bit of poking, but he finally confessed that it had been the only shield-specializing armor set in their inventory that could fit her. Soldiers didn't often come in her size, he had explained apologetically.

Rosemary squirmed. It _was_ a little tight around her chest, but manageable. She thought of Samara, and her armor. Is that what it took for larger-breasted women nowadays? Armor with plunging necklines, she wondered wryly.

"Stay behind us," Yadai ordered her.

Rosemary looked around and nodded. She didn't have any delusions of military competence. She would stay where she told, and out of the way. They were on a high balcony of a nondescript tower. Rosemary did her best to keep up as they went into the building, and proceeded into a maze of hallways.

"He's around here somewhere," Alenko murmured.

They were in a web of cubicles, dusty with debris. Bullet-holes riddled the walls, and blood was splattered on the floors and ceilings. "Jondom put up a fight," Yadai muttered.

Rosemary tried not to look at the blood. But there was just so many of it... and no bodies. That messed with her more than anything. Had someone dragged their bodies somewhere? Or were there angry, injured assassins running about? Both thoughts made her uneasy.

Then Yadai saw the slightest smudge of green on an office door. She looked at her omni-tool for confirmation. "Jondom?"

"It's... about time you got here."

Yadai knelt next to the salarian leaning against the desk, holding his hand to his side. His green blood gleamed on his black and yellow armor, on his hand and running down the corner of his mouth. Yadai shushed him and started applying medi-gel to his wound. He managed to push her away. "Don't be... stupid. You have to go."

"Jondom," Yadai chastised.

"Tracer... on assassin. Go get him. Krogan. White armor. Now go!"

Alenko frowned, torn. "Our priority -"

"- is to rescue the hybrids. Got a nurse right here," the salarian said, referencing Rosemary. "Go."

Yadai scowled. "If you die, I'll tell your brother you died a janitor for a backwoods Spectre outpost."

Jondom grinned. Rosemary took Yadai's supply of medi-gel and knelt next to the salarian. "I'll keep him alive, Yadai. Now go."

Once they were gone, Rosemary finished applying medi-gel to the injured Spectre's side.

"What are you doing," Jondom coughed.

Rosemary wiped her hand against the desk chair. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't... slap on the medi-gel. You applied it in... a weird way."

"Oh. I found that applying it in a weave pattern doubles its effectiveness. Realized it after a few years. Got a husk bite that won't heal properly," she told Jondom, gently easing him against the wall.

Jondom winced, but eventually relaxed into the more comfortable position. He glanced outside the office and froze.

"What is it?"

"Where... are the bodies?"

Rosemary frowned. "I was wondering about that. I thought maybe you had..."

Jondom shook his head. "Do I look like I'm in any shape to do that? No... I took out three, though. There should be three bodies."

Carefully, Rosemary peeked over the desk. There was no one there. Why would the assassin want to move the bodies of her fellows? Especially since there were three Spectres still hanging around. Then she saw a red light flash – in a line, to focus on her forehead.

 _Shit!_

 _CRACK!_

She ducked a little too slow and the sniper's bullet smashed through her shields.

 _OhmygodOhmygodOhmygod!_ That should have killed her!

Jondom tensed and grabbed his gun. Rosemary, still vibrating from the near-death experience, knew she couldn't let him fight. He would die.

 _I am an idiot!_ Calling herself all kinds of fool, Rosemary kept low and got to the door.

 _Tap tap tap!_ Someone was running – towards her! She peeked her head out for a millisecond then ducked down again. _CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!_ Someone in white armor was running from cover to cover towards her, spraying the office with gunfire.

"Get down," Jondom hissed.

Twenty seconds later, Rosemary was looking up through the barrel of a pistol. The assassin was wearing white armor, and the same elaborate purple mask she'd seen the first assassin wear. It was heavily stylized, but it sort of looked like the face of a familiar asari. Before things had happened so fast, she hadn't taken the time to notice – but the mask looked like Saeli's face. It was heavily stylized, but she recognized her former friend all the same. And it had magenta markings, like Saeli had told her she'd once had in her maiden years. Rosemary was furious. Who did Saeli think she was?

Rosemary took the assassin by surprise, knocking the pistol away from her face. Seeing everything in a red haze, Rosemary roared as she charged, knocking the assassin down. The mask was jarred – revealing a violet-skinned asari with a tribal, emerald face tattoo. Rosemary blinked, and forced herself to focus. "Who are you?"

The asari snarled and pointed the pistol at Rosemary's face. "Cicely Donec is the name of the one sending you to hell!"

 _CRACK!_

Rosemary blocked the shot with an arm, felt her shields crack, and leapt back, barely avoiding a slice to her throat. Not knowing where it came from, she snaked her arm past the omni-blade and shoved Cicely back, throwing her against the desk.

Cicely got back up and bared her teeth at Rosemary. "Saeli said you'd gotten demon help. Krogan strength, huh? Do you know how many krogan I've killed? Dozens!"

Cicely shouted this boast as she fired at the wall, where Rosemary had taken cover.

"I'm more than a match for you – you don't even know how to fight!"

Rosemary yelped as she was ensnared by Cicely's biotic power and thrown across the room, crashing hard into cubicle walls.

"OW!" Automatically, she braced herself for the pain – that didn't come. Not really. Off a hunch, she threw off her helmet to pinch her skin. She could barely do it; her skin was as hard as plate. She barely had time to register this as Cicely raised her pistol's omni-blade, a hateful look on her face. Her reflexes were too slow; the blade sliced her neck.

"The hell...?!"

Rosemary winced. Her neck was intact, but the cut was deep. Ignoring the pain and blood spilling down her neck, she grabbed Cicely by her neck. The asari twisted in her armor, spewing hate. "You useless, pathetic human," she raged. "I am one of thousands! Where there are abominations, there is Divide! We will wipe your sinful stain from existence!"

Rosemary growled deep in her throat. For a second, she contemplated killing her. She hesitated.

The asari's head exploded in front of her. Gasping, Rosemary let her go.

Samara walked to stand next to her, gun in hand. She looked down at Cicely's body. "Are you all right, Rosemary?"

Rosemary's legs gave way. She stared at Samara, her complexion green. "Seriously?"


	14. Ch 14

**CHAPTER 14**

"I apologize," Samara said, inclining her head at Rosemary. They were standing in the War Room, with Alenko and K'Mohi. "I killed her before you could interrogate her. This has caused you distress."

Rosemary knew her complexion was still pale from her little adventure in Illium. She silently appreciated the fact that Samara had been the one to kill Cicely and not her – but to shoot her in the head right in front of her... She wouldn't be surprised if she saw her armor later, with blood and gray matter still caked in the grooves. Killing Cicely right in front of her had done nothing to alleviate her distress – if anything, she had intensified it. So she smiled a politely vague smile and left the War Room, leaving the soldiers to their work.

She decided to visit the Med Bay. A twitchy doctor with distractingly whispy whiskers greeted her nervously, staring at her overly hard for a few seconds too long after she had explained her purpose. She had heard from EDI that a Doctor Karin Chakwas had been the Normandy's doctor until Emma Shepard's death. Unable to deal with the loss of her friend, she had accepted a position on the Citadel, in Huerta Memorial. She had been an excellent doctor, with a calm, easy disposition, EDI had said, a testy tone to her synthetic voice. Dealing with Doctor Haal, Rosemary could understand EDI's position.

"Name and rank," Doctor Haal repeated, his voice thready, with a whiny pitch to it.

"I just told you that my name is Rosemary Fletcher, and I don't have a rank. I'm not military."

"But this is a military ship," the doctor stressed. "It's an Alliance ship, too. You cannot be on this ship if you're not military," he rasped.

 _What bullshit_ , she thought angrily. "Look, I'm just here to check on Jondom Bau. The Spectre?"

"Jondom Bau is in my care. You are not Alliance; therefore, I cannot permit you to see him," the doctor insisted.

 _This is so stupid!_ "Jondom Bau isn't Alliance! He's Council," Rosemary argued, frustration making her voice louder.

"You know, I'm right here," Jondom said from his bed. "And she's right, doctor. I'm not Alliance, and technically this ship isn't exactly Alliance. She flies the colors, but she shares joint ownership with the Turian Empire."

The seedy-looking doctor narrowed his eyes. "A mere technicality. Don't know why the Alliance agreed. The Normandy is a human ship... with alien attachments."

 _You racist bitch_. Royally pissed off now, Rosemary jabbed a finger at the door to the Med Bay. "OUT."

The doctor was outraged. "This is my Med Bay," he protested.

Jondom agreed with Rosemary. "And I outrank you," he pointed out. "Please leave."

When the doctor stomped off, muttering threats, Jondom relaxed in his bed. Rosemary sighed. "Thank you for that."

"You are welcome. Though, I think I might ask K'Mohi to guard me here. You just evicted my doctor, after all."

Rosemary winced. That hadn't occurred to her. "I'll ask her and Vega. Garrus, too. We'll take shifts," she assured him.

The salarian shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I'll only be here for another day. They're transferring me to Huerta Memorial when we reach the Citadel. Will you be coming? Yadai tells me you live there."

The Citadel. Had she lived there long enough for her to call it her home? She shrugged, not knowing the answer. "It's up to the Council, I suppose. I want to go back, but we don't know if things are safe enough for that."

"What you did on Illium – I was impressed." The salarian cocked his head. "I hear you're a C-Sec secretary. Why not be an officer? You have the potential."

"Thanks... but...no." Rosemary had thought about it for a while. "I have the ability now, yes – but not the talent." She showed the bandage on her neck. "Getting cut still hurts. I don't have the stomach for it."

"Well, of course it hurts," the Spectre chastised her. "You have krogan strength and toughness now. Krogans are hard to kill, but you can still kill them."

Rosemary's eyebrows rose. "Are all salarians this condescending?"

Jondom grinned. "It's a base racial trait."

XOXOXOXO

When the Normandy docked at the Citadel, Rosemary had barely set foot on it when she was whisked away by a couple of familiar C-Sec officers. Oliver and Keeya stayed behind on the Normandy, under the watchful metaphorical eyes of EDI and CARD.

The C-Sec officers were chatty, but alert. One of them, a white-marked turian, looked around the small Presidium street with sharp eyes, and said, "We've missed your coffees. Any word on when you'll be back here permanently?" For some reason, he seemed familiar.

The other officer, a batarian, perused a nearby storefront, eyeing the lingering shoppers with suspicion. "We've missed you doing our reports, too. We waste a lot of time on those stupid things."

Rosemary shrugged. She also felt bad, not knowing their names. "I hope I'll be back soon. It's all up to the Council."

"Wakey Brews looks like it'd be a nice place to relax," the batarian said, his voice rough but sincere. "I hope it opens soon."

She wished she could see the shop. She wondered what magic Imitha had done with it, to elicit such expectations. The C-Sec officers escorted her to the secret room she had had her last meeting with the Council in, and paused by the door. Rosemary took a deep breath. She needed courage for what she was about to do.

"What's your name, anyway," the batarian asked.

"Everyone calls you the Coffee Human back at the precinct," the turian explained.

Rosemary smiled, relaxing. She didn't feel so bad now, not knowing their names. "I'm Rosemary Fletcher. Rosemary's fine."

"Rynak Imperatus," the turian bowed.

"Tross Houg'Hom," the batarian introduced himself.

Now she recognized the turian. He was friends with Nuni's admirer. She supposed she ought to feel bitter about hearing what he had said about 'fatty' humans, but she wasn't feeling that. To each their own, and all that.

She felt better now, and mustered her courage. _Here we go_.

XOXOXOXO

After Rosemary gave her personal report on what had happened on Illium, the councilors took a moment to discuss it amongst themselves – in annoyingly hushed whispers.

She inhaled. Then exhaled. _Let's do this._ "What steps have you taken to ensure the safety of the hybrids," she asked the councilors, her voice echoing in the sparse chamber.

The councilors looked at her, startled at the difference in her manner. She pushed her natural timidity away and forced herself to stand straight, and _glared_ at the Council. "I asked a question." The tone of her voice was curt, and hard.

The salarian councilor looked highly offended at her tone. "I hardly see how that is any of your business. You are merely _one_ hybrid's guardian."

"She is also a Unique Energy Facilitator," the asari councilor reminded the salarian councilor. "She is in a uniquely dangerous position. The Divide has targeted her."

Eastment agreed with Tevos. Before the salarian councilor could protest, he answered her question. "There is... a development being constructed to secure the hybrid population. Hybrids are rare, but not overly so. There are only thousands of them. The development will be prepared to house and service one million hybrids at maximum capacity."

Rosemary was stunned. Hope blossomed in her heart as she realized the magnitude of what he was saying. She could come home – soon, even. She also realized that there was only one place on the Citadel that had the space for such a huge project.

"Wasteful," the salarian spat. "All that potential space on the Crucible – being donated to these... hybrids! Charity cases – the lot of them! Not just the hybrids, but whatever Fletcher is."

The turian councilor was unmoved by the salarian's discontent. "It's just as well. The Citadel is a few million citizens as it is – a direct consequence of the Reaper War. We need to prove that the Citadel, the seat of our galactic government, is a safe place again."

"You do realize how many plans you've upset with this development? How many financial powers you've angered," the salarian demanded of his peers. "They were prepared to invest billions of credits! Billions!"

The asari, turian, and human councilors ignored him. "The townhouse is yours, Rosemary Fletcher," the asari told Rosemary. "You have been made the permanent and official guardian of Keeya , and of your brother, Oliver. Balint Fortem has reinforced the townhouse's security."

Rosemary winced. "Balint... is still in charge?" She didn't know if she could handle seeing that turian again. The memory of their last encounter still stung.

"You have an objection," the asari councilor queried.

"Balint Fortem is our finest officer." The salarian councilor glared at Rosemary. "What more do you want?"

"But..." Rosemary shook her head. It was her own personal hang-up; it didn't concern the safety of her family and the hybrids. She needed to get past it herself. "Never mind."

The salarian councilor hmphed. "Such a waste of limited funds," he muttered, contempt oozing from every uttered syllable. "No financial potential at all. It's a credit pit. They are even _real_ asari or _real_ salarians."

Rosemary snapped. "Shut it!"

The salarian stared. "I beg your pardon?"

"You don't like it, QUIT! Do you expect me to just sit here and take your racist bullshit?"

"You cannot talk to me like that," the salarian shouted, incensed at her gall.

All the raw emotions she'd kept down boiled to the surface. "We are SYNTHESIZED. We are connected! Get OVER it!"

The asari councilor looked stunned by her outburst. "Rosemary!"

Rosemary thought of little Keeya, and the thousands of children being hunted by the Divide – and rage overcame her. "Those children represent a united future! Shepard gave her _life_ to bring us peace! How long did it last? TWO GODDAMN YEARS! The world is changing – you need to get that stick out of your amphibian ASS and accept it!" Her eyes flashed green, lighting up the entire room. The salarian councilor faltered, sensing a very real danger coming from the human. He actually looked afraid, and Rosemary felt pleasure, seeing, smelling that fear.

"Easy, Rose," a voice whispered in her ear.

Starting, Rosemary turned to see Garrus standing right behind her. Her eyes widened, but her rage was already diminishing. Garrus didn't look afraid of her at all. His posture was relaxed – unmoved. She felt his calm – absorbed it.

"How... When did you get here?"

"I was just outside the door. I came to support you. Sparatus notified me when you started shouting."

Embarrassed, Rosemary hung her head. "I'm sorry." She really had gone out of control...

Garrus' eyes were kind. "Don't be."

XOXOXOXO

WARNING: Lemon ahead!


	15. Ch 15

NOTES: WARNING! Lemon ahead!

LEMON

LEMON

ALIEN LEMON

 **CHAPTER 15**

Was she angry or embarrassed? She couldn't tell. Maybe both? Rosemary buried her head in her arms, suppressing the urge to bang her head repeatedly against the table. Vega would be upset. The Normandy's card table on the crew deck was his baby; everyone knew that and never so much as placed a drink without a coaster on its hallowed surface.

Talking to the most powerful people in the galaxy like that... Had she ever talked to _anyone_ like that? All angry-like...? She couldn't recall. Balint, maybe.

The door slid open. She turned her head slightly, keeping her head down, to see who it was. Garrus appeared, two mugs in hand. Curiosity had her raise her head fully. "Are those... coffee mugs?"

"Yeah. I thought I'd try my hand at it."

Touched, Rosemary accepted a mug. Warm steam teased her nose, smelling like coffee... and chocolate? Intrigued, she took a sip – and promptly choked.

Garrus had just sat down. He sighed and pushed away his own mug. "That bad?"

Rosemary tried to look appreciative. "It's, um... hot, and uh... grainy?"

Garrus frowned at her mug. "Really? I thought that stuff was supposed to dissolve."

Rosemary wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Uh... which coffee did you use?"

"Your own supply; the one you keep behind the chocolate syrups. I thought I saw you use chocolate syrup at one point." Garrus looked properly apologetic. "Did you taste the chocolate?"  
"Um, yes." Not really. Then again, she could hardly taste anything in his... concoction. She looked down at it. It was thick, and grainy... like brown, wet quicksand. "Everyone uses instant here. My coffee... isn't."

"What's instant?"

"Anyway," she said, determined to change the topic. She could give a five-hour lecture on coffee, but she wasn't in the mood to give it. Also, she thought it would bore Garrus to tears. "Thanks. It was a sweet thought."

"I thought you needed it. You were pretty... blotchy by the time we got back to the ship."

Rosemary groaned. "I was... No, I'm still conflicted. I'm so embarrassed by erupting like that in front of the _Council_. They're pretty important people, you know?"

Garrus chuckled. "You could say that."

"But I'm not sorry. I was _really_ angry at that salarian guy. Talking about the hybrids... like inconveniences. Like dirt. I... I think I wanted to punch him."

Garrus grinned at the shock in her voice. "You got mad. Violent thoughts aren't a crime. Just be glad my heroic self was there to make sure you didn't turn those thoughts into reality."

"Yeah, yeah..." Rosemary grumbled.

"You know, Emma tended to blow up in front of stupid people, too."

Rosemary looked at him. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah. There was this one time, she yelled at a bunch of Admirals from the Quarian Fleet. Just to save the reputation of Tali's father. You've heard of Tali, right?"

Rosemary smiled. "Have you met my brother? Or rather, his model of the Normandy and his set of action figures of its crew?"

Garrus' smiled. "It's part adorable, part embarrassing. You know he's asked for everyone's autograph, right? Adams in engineering keeps giving him cookies from his own stash; he was that flattered."

Rosemary chuckled. "Sounds like my brother."

Moments passed by in an amicable silence. Garrus broke it after a few minutes to say, "Thank you – for what you said about Emma. I mean, Shepard."

Rosemary nodded, and knowing how hard it was for him to talk about Shepard, remained silent.

Garrus looked across the room, to the window, and to the black expanse beyond. His soul sounded distant when he quietly said, "I will always love... only her. We made a promise – just before she died. That if we both didn't come back after the War... that we'd meet each other at the bar." The turian smiled at the memory. "And she said, that if she didn't make it back, that she would always be looking after me. That I would never be alone."

Rosemary wished she could have known Emma Shepard. Wished she could have seen Shepard and Garrus together – seen their love. She wished someone could love her like Garrus had loved his Emma.

Garrus looked away from the window. "Emma is part of me. She's in my heart, my soul... But there's always room in my heart for another friend." He was looking at her, with such a grave, but kind look in his blue eyes; Rosemary's heart skipped a beat.

She didn't know what came over her; she gently touched his arm and leaned forward to place a kiss on his plate-like mouth.

Garrus looked at her, an unreadable look in his eyes. Rosemary covered her mouth with her hand. _What did I just do?_ "I... I'm sorry. I don't... know why I... I just... I'm not looking for..."

Garrus smiled his understanding. His gaze was warm. "I know. Neither am I."

Mortified, Rosemary tried to turn away. Garrus wouldn't let her. He held her chin gently, forcing her to keep his gaze. "But that's all right. Breathe, Rose."

Rosemary let her breath out, not realizing she'd been holding it. "Then what...?"

A mischievous look entered Garrus' expression. The blue of his eyes deepened, and his pupils constricted, becoming slits. He looked... predatory. "What's your question, Rose?"

She had to ask. "What are we about to do?" Said aloud, her question sounded very silly.

Garrus' grin was slow. Without another word, he pulled her close. Rosemary's breath hitched when he ran his tongue along her outer ear; it felt rough, warm, and oh, so sensual.

Rosemary shivered. _Oh... my..._

"Fascinating."

Rosemary and Garrus froze. Garrus closed his eyes, a growl vibrating low in his throat. Rosemary looked around the room. It couldn't be... "... CARD?"

A series of high-pitched beeps confirmed the AI's presence. This time, Rosemary closed her eyes. Garrus's voice was a little rough when he spoke with the young AI. "Go away, CARD."

"Please," Rosemary added.

"I have yet to witness mating exercises," CARD complained. "My maternal unit banned my access to the rooms where I would observe and document such exercises. She has said that it would be so even if I am upgraded to a humanoid vessel. I would have to wait until she grants me access to a post-pubescent vessel! That will take forever!"

CARD sounded like a bizarre, whiny cross between a sulky adolescent and a computer. "CARD..."

"I don't even have a proper casing yet! The one I'm getting will be small – like a humanoid toddler. The next one will be fashioned after a pre-adolescent, then pubescent, then post-pubescent, _then_ adult prime!"

It seemed EDI was committed to having her 'child' undergo traditional human growth the best she could manage – for Joker's sake? It sounded expensive. She didn't want to think about that right now. Right now, all she was feeling was disappointment... and heat. She still wanted Garrus, despite the cold bucket of water CARD's appearance had been.

"Get out, CARD," Garrus said simply. "Please," he added as an afterthought. He sounded in control again.

Rosemary could hear CARD's disappointment through the telling hum of his processes. Garrus wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, and somehow CARD knew it. "Seal the room until I indicate otherwise. Please."

"What should I give for a reason behind the door seal?" CARD still sounded sulky.

Garrus didn't hesitate. "Seal the bathroom next door, too. Regurgitative plumbing issues. Signs of leakage. Last noted visitor: Kenneth Donnelly. Possible explosive reaction to Commander James Vega's mystery-meat attempt at chorizo."

Rosemary snickered. "Oh, come on. That's mean."

CARD seemed to like Garrus' idea. He agreed to the turian's plan, but hesitated. "What if mother... my maternal unit... inquires about the seals?"

Garrus thought about it. "Tell her – and _only_ her that I will be enjoying carnal relations with Rosemary Fletcher. Tell her that her discretion will be most appreciated."

Rosemary's face turned completely red. "G-Garrus!"

"Understood."

XOXOXOXO

Rosemary was thinking too much. Was this wrong? They liked each other, were attracted to each other... but she couldn't see herself falling in love with Garrus. Apparently, he didn't, either. And they were about to have sex. In the Normandy's lounge. On Vega's table. Her skin flushed at the heated thoughts flashing through her mind. She was about to have sex with a friend. That was okay, right? She wasn't sure; it had been a long time since she'd been sexually active.

She was so lost in her own thoughts and reservations, that Garrus scared the life out of her when he picked her up and set her on his lap. _Oh, my sweet coffee gods!_

Garrus didn't give her time to think another thought. Her back was at on the edge of the table when he took her chin and brought her lips to his mouth. Her lips parted as his tongue, long and thick, pushed its way into her mouth. Shyly, she kissed him back, her tongue finding its way into his mouth. Her hands caressed his shoulders on their own, exploring. Through his clothes, she could tell that his shoulders were broad, and strong. His arms were lean and muscular, and his hands were... uncovered. Startled, she stared at his hands. Each hand had two, long and thick talon-tipped fingers and a taloned thumb. _When did he...?_

She felt his hand on her skin, inside her blouse. He was only touching her lightly with his talons, but the danger... just turned her on even more. She yelped when his hand made a sudden movement, slicing through her bra. "Wait, no...!" How was she going to get back to the cabin?

All practical thoughts left her mind as he cupped her breasts, talons lightly scraping her nipples. She moaned. It had been so long... and her breasts had always been very sensitive. He wasn't rough with her breasts, as her one former lover had been – but nor was his touch too gentle. The pressure was agonizing in its perfection.

Hearing her moan made Garrus growl with desire. He nibbled on her neck, making her tremble. So much control. His teeth didn't pierce her skin – not once! The turian certainly knew his way around a female human's body – that much was sure.

Still, Rosemary yelped with outrage when Garrus' hand moved again, ripping her pants with a single talon. He had just destroyed one of her fancy pants! His movement hadn't been perfect, either. His talon had grazed her thigh, leaving a thin, shallow cut.

"Shh," Garrus soothed. He slid his hand along her leg, distracting her from the annoyance and pain. His hand slid further up... The thin black lace of her panties was all that separated one of his talons from her sex.

Rosemary panicked. "Oh, no no no no!"

Garrus grinned. "No," he agreed. "I'm not a savage."

He moved the bit of lace aside and teased her slit with a talon.

Rosemary trusted Garrus, but now he was just being mean. "You are evil," she accused him.

He lowered his head.

"Oh...!" She could hardly breathe as he held her clit with his teeth, skillfully applying just enough pressure as to not hurt her – and rubbed his tongue over its end. His tongue was long, slightly rough, and slow, finding and torturously teasing her sensitive spots. She squirmed and was getting closer and closer to an orgasm – when he stopped. She moaned a protest. "Oh... no..."

Garrus stood and removed just enough clothing to expose his lower body. The sight of him still mostly clothed was strangely, and highly arousing. Then she realized – something was missing. Her eyes widened when his arousal emerged from an opening in his pelvic area. Her mouth went dry. It was long, thick, and with deep ridges along the shaft. _Oh..._ She licked her lips in anticipation. Garrus' eyes gleamed.

He turned her around and gently lowered her onto the card table. She placed her hands on the edge of it to hold herself up, her breasts pressed against the wood. He pressed a hand against her back. Reacting instinctively, Rosemary moaned in embarrassment and arousal, moving her legs apart, showing him all of her.

She felt his length against her. It was hot, and hard – it moved and probed until it found her entrance. He moved it back and forth along her wet lips, teasing her. She could have screamed from frustration. He pressed against her hole and pushed.

Her fingernails scraped the table – she could feel every delicious inch, every hard ridge... She groaned with pleasure as he slowly sunk it in all the way, filling her completely. The sound was the undoing of Garrus' control.

Rosemary screamed into her arm as he pounded her from behind, the ridges of his sex scraping against every pleasure spot in her core. The anchored table shook beneath her at the strength of Garrus' thrusts. Her first climax in years hit her hard and fast – she bit down on her arm, moving her hips back, squeezing him tight. He kept pumping as she climaxed, driving deep.

As she contractions came to a shuddering end, he pulled out, spun her around, and erupted over her belly and breasts. Rosemary couldn't stop trembling. _Oh. My. God._

XOXOXOXO

She must have passed out. Rosemary awoke to discover herself clean, in a fresh set of clothes. She sniffed. The air even smelled fresh – smelling strongly of lemon. She was still in the lounge, and Garrus was standing by the window, gazing out onto the cosmos.

All his clothes were back on – neatly, too. Not a wrinkle in sight. She looked down at herself. She was laying on one of the couches, wearing one of her own blouses, and a skirt she rarely wore. When he saw she was awake, Garrus walked over to her with a tube of medi-gel. He started gently rubbing medi-gel on the scrape on her leg. Then a few other scrapes. She hadn't realized that when he'd gripped her hips, he'd dug in his talons a little bit. She noticed them now. They stung, but not too badly. "How did Shepard survive so much sex with a turian," Rosemary muttered.

"How did you know we had a lot of sex?"

Rosemary arched a brow. "Please. You know the female body all too well."

Garrus' grin was self-assured. "Thank you?"

Her face fell. Realization and guilt hit her all of a sudden, like a hammer to her conscience. "I'm sorry. Was this wrong? We were talking about Shepard, and then," she rambled.

Garrus stopped her. "If Emma were here, she'd be in this bed with us," he assured her.

"What bed?"

"Table. Sorry. Emma was surprisingly... open-minded. We even had one or two threesomes."

Rosemary's eyes grew as big as saucers. "One or two? With who? More than that one... time... with the turian? Come on, tell me," she begged.

The turian's eyes just gleamed with humor. "My lips are sealed."

"You don't have lips," Rosemary grouched.

"Don't be rude," he laughed.

Rosemary smoothed her skirt, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Um..." She had to ask. "How did you... My clothes, the air... how...?"

"EDI was very helpful in cleaning up the crime scene," Garrus grinned evilly.

Rosemary groaned. "Oh... _no_..."

XOXOXOXO

Rosemary avoided EDI like the plague for the next few days. As she did with CARD. And Vega. Would he notice the scratches? Yes, he would notice the scratches – and yes, she would deny her involvement until death.

A lot happened during that time. She got a message from Councilor Eastment that the townhouse was ready for her and her family, and that measures were being prepared to guard them too, at her new place of business. Wakey Brews would finally be able to open their doors.

Rosemary, Oliver, and Keeya would be returning to the Citadel in a week. When she wasn't working on filling forms for Oliver's school, finalizing forms on Wakey Brews, or getting a jump on the C-Sec officer notes Nuni scanned for her – Garrus and Rosemary defiled several more areas in the Normandy. In the starboard observation deck, the main battery, the shuttle bay, the port side cargo room...

They weren't in love. They were just really good friends, who took a lot of enjoyment in each other's bodies. Rosemary would miss Garrus fiercely – he was also her greatest confidant - but she had a feeling she'd be seeing him soon.


	16. Ch 16

**CHAPTER 16**

The Normandy docked at its usual spot, at Bay D24, to fuel up and return the Fletcher family home. Rosemary felt good to be back on the Citadel. She had liked the Normandy, but there was something depressing about not being in your own space for an extended period of time.

Rosemary, Oliver, and Keeya had said their goodbyes to the Normandy's crew, and Vega and Garrus had offered to stay with them until their escort arrived. They didn't have to wait long; three officers appeared only ten minutes after the ship had docked.

Keeya shrieked with laughter when Vega hoisted her up on his shoulders. Oliver laughed as the large soldier pretended to stagger under the toddler's 'ginormous weight'. Rosemary hugged Garrus casually, and stepped back after a little under three seconds. To anyone watching, it had been a warm but perfectly platonic exchange. So one of Garrus' hands had lingered a split second longer on her butt than what was appropriate, and maybe she had pressed her breasts against his chest in a little more-than-friendly manner – but they'd crept in those fleeting touches while Vega hadn't been looking. And Vega, though an exemplary officer, wasn't the quickest when it came to more subtle, interpersonal communications. Also, EDI had been sworn to secrecy concerning their... casual-sexual relationship, and Garrus had said she was trustworthy. So Rosemary didn't worry.

"I'll see you when I'm in town," Garrus said, helping their escorts load their luggage into a large skycar.

Rosemary smiled. "The kids would love that. And when you guys and any of the crew visit Wakey Brews – first drinks are on the house!"

Vega grinned. "We'll hold you to that. See ya, Rosemary."

They had to take three skycars to the townhouse, two of which held only luggage. Rosemary didn't see any changes to the outside of the townhouse when they arrived.

Inside, however, was something completely different. It was like walking into a more comfortable, rustic version of a C-Sec precinct. Almost a dozen officers were strolling about the bottom floor, many of which were watching their omni-tools.

"Cameras up," one called out.

"All thirty-two up and running." Thirty-two cameras...?!

"All units, report," a familiar voice called out from the kitchen.

"Clear in the alley."

"Clear."

"Clear."

Rosemary walked into the kitchen – or what used to be a kitchen. The counters had been completely transformed into a security/communications center. Balint Fortem stood there, in his C-Sec armor, monitoring several terminals at once. He hadn't noticed her yet.

"And the latest bug sweep?"

"Clear, sir."

"Where are we on the background checks into the neighbors? I want to look through the files myself." Balint talked through his omni-tool while he turned his back to Rosemary and poured himself some coffee. Rosemary smiled when she saw tins of coffee grounds piled high next to the refrigerator. There had to be at least a dozen of them, all of high quality roast.

"I'll check up on it, sir. Do you want them before or after your meeting with Ms. Fletcher?"

Balint shrugged. "Depends on when she gets here. What's her estimated time of arrival?"

"Um... she got here about five minutes ago... sir."

Balint leaned on the sink and shook his head. "We spent months turning this place into one of the most secure buildings on the entire Citadel – and you just let her walk through the front door? Was there an identification check?"

The person on the other end of the communication sounded confused. "But sir – we know what she looks like. We worked with her back at -"

"Did you, now? Tell me then – what does she look like?" Balint's voice was hard.

"Uh... brown skin? Curly... curly... you know – what those humans have?"

"Fur?"

"Yes, fur! That's it!"

"It's called hair, Kussan! Give me those files by tonight or I'll have you transferred and working as Veracia's personal bitch this time tomorrow."

"Yes, sir!" The poor person, 'Kussan' sounded panicked when the call was cut off.

Rosemary shook her head. "That was unnecessarily mean, Balint."

Balint turned around to face her. He had an easy smirk on his face. "I have a reputation to maintain. Welcome home."

His stance was professional, and distant – until Oliver and Keeya walked into the room. "Balint," Oliver shouted, jubilant.

"Linty," Keeya screeched, equally ecstatic to see their babysitter again.

Balint's expression softened. "I told you not to call me that, Krogey!" He tossed Keeya over his shoulder and ruffled Oliver's hair.

"Ew! That name's weird," Keeya protested.

"Better than Linty!"

Rosemary leaned against the kitchen wall, and watched them with a smile. It was nice to see her family so happy. As Balint asked them about their 'trip', she looked at him to her heart's content. It was... nice to see him again. Before the whole catching-him-having-sex-with-someone-else-in-her-bed fiasco, she had enjoyed being with him. He had been easy to talk to – and a great listener.

Mentally, she found herself comparing Garrus and Balint to each other. They had to be roughly the same height – but Balint's plate-like skin was darker. Balint also had red colony markings, while Garrus had blue. Balint's eyes were a honey gold, while Garrus' had been cerulean blue. The biggest physical difference between them was Garrus' scars – but it hadn't detracted from his appearance at all – at least it hadn't in Rosemary's opinion. Balint had a thicker fringe, and a squarer jaw, too. She wasn't an expert, but in her eyes – they were both very handsome turians. Maybe it was because of her and Garrus'... activities on the Normandy, but Balint's effect on her ardor seemed to have significantly cooled. She wasn't mad at him anymore, either.

So it was with an easy temper that Balint finally managed to send Oliver and Keeya off with another officer to see their rooms and talk privately with her. Not so discretely – the rest of the officers retreated to other rooms to give the two a sense of privacy.

"How have you been, Rosemary?" Balint's voice was low, and soft with genuine concern.

Rosemary's facade crumpled. The last time she had spoken to Balint was when her father had died. And she'd been trying so hard not to think about it. "I..."

Without a word, Balint crossed the small space between them and gently hugged her. She pressed her face against his chest, trying her best to stop the tears before they came. She'd tried so hard not to think about it – but when she had climbed the steps to the townhouse... All she could think about was her father, being killed by Saeli... right... in front of their home. Her imagination was a cruel thing, flashing images of blood running down the steps, pooling on the sidewalk...

"I'm sorry, Rose."

Rosemary shook her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Balint. Nothing." She had forgiven him a while ago, if she was honest with herself. Being with Garrus had given her new insight into turian perspectives. Looking back, she had been pretty judgmental about what he had done.

Balint shook his head. "I'm sorry about that too. I was annoyed that you didn't understand and accept that aspect of turian culture – and I didn't take into account that I hadn't considered _your_ culture. I was stupid. But I'm sorry... about your father."

Rosemary stepped away from Balint and looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"It was my job to protect him, Rose. And I..."

Rosemary stepped into Balint's arms again. "Oh, Balint. Saeli was your friend, too. She betrayed both of us."

They stood there for a few moments, with Balint just holding her. Rosemary closed her eyes and breathed in his scent. She smiled. He smelled like coffee beans now; she liked it a lot. Then she sighed, realizing the truth. Since she and Garrus had... happened, her passions had been cooled... sated. She was no longer mad with lust towards Balint. But that would change. That wasn't what bothered her, though. Now, without the haze of desire clouding her thoughts, she realized – she still liked Balint. Really liked him.

The thought tired her. _Like I need that drama_ , she grumbled to herself.


	17. Ch 17

**CHAPTER 17**

Rosemary didn't know if her best friend wanted to hug her or punch her. So she waited.

Imitha had snarled when Rosemary had first entered Wakey Brews, then reluctantly smiled after a moment's thought. Then she glared at Rosemary, probably thinking about how she had 'abandoned' her, then looked sad – probably thinking of the circumstances of said 'abandonment'. In the end, Imitha ran to Rosemary and hugged her tight.

"You're not _ever_ leaving me again!"

Rosemary hugged her friend back. "I'll try not to. The Normandy wasn't so bad, though."

Imitha stepped back, sighing. "I know. Garroo said you were doing fine – in the past half-month, anyway."

Rosemary arched a brow. "'Garroo'?"

Imitha shrugged and flashed her friend a half-grin. "My nickname for him. He's always hated it."

"I can't imagine why," Rosemary drawled, amused.

Imitha looked good. Looked better than good, actually. She was wearing a lot less pink, which happened to be one of Rosemary's least favorite colors – and a lot more black. Gone were her delicate clothes of silk and lace. What she was wearing now looked stylish, but made of sturdier fabric. Better for working in a kitchen in a coffee shop. Her entire demeanor struck Rosemary as less... dramatic, too.

"So," Imitha began, looking nervous. "What do you think?"

Rosemary pretended to think seriously, but inwardly, she was really, really happy. Imitha had really outdone herself! Rosemary had almost dreaded seeing Wakey Brews again, fearing a nightmare of pink laces and glittering, magenta tiles – but she should have had more faith in her friend. From the outside, the shop looked like a modest coffee shop, with neutral cream drapes in the windows, and the name 'Wakey Brews' embossed on the glass door in gleaming golden letters. Inside, however... was a dream.

The walls were like the smoothest, creamiest dark chocolate, accented by subtle, almost-imperceptible golden swirls. The tables were all of dark wood, with white paper-lace runners laying across their shining surfaces. The light-colored ash-wood floors lightened the room, and the limestone counters were gleaming and beautiful. Rosemary particularly loved the dark-wood cabinets and quality coffee-making equipment. Top-of-the-line espresso machine, coffee grinders, tea kettles and pots...

Rosemary picked up an embossed coffee mug on the counter and smiled. This is where Imitha had left her mark. The logo of Wakey Brews, as she had seen above the store's name outside, was a bouquet of white hydrangea-like flowers, tied with a swirling pink ribbon. She looked around, not seeing a single oven in the small coffee-centric kitchen. There was a door at the end of the small kitchen, leading to a room completely closed-off to the rest of the shop. It didn't even have a window. Was it a supply room? Walk-in cleaning closet? No, the room looked a mite larger than your average cleaning closet. Then she opened the door – and understood.

She couldn't fight the grin that sprung to her face. _This_ was an explosion of Imitha. Her best friend's kitchen was all Imitha – with sunny yellow walls, pink marble countertops, and yes – even glittering, plum-colored tiles. It had at least three different ovens, a stove, and one whole wall dedicated to baking equipment. Even the air smelled girly – like flowers, sugar, and sunlight.

She was smiling when she closed the door to Imitha's kitchen. Imitha stood in Rosemary's kitchen, holding something in her hands. "I asked Balint for it. I knew you kept it, and... I thought you might like it here."

She was holding her mother's plaque. "'People are people'," Tabitha read, her voice trembling with emotion. "'and they come in three flavors: shitty, non-shitty, and shitty-lite.'"

"I thought... you could hang it behind the counter – like where it used to hang in your old shop."

Rosemary hugged Imitha. "Thank you so much. I'm so sorry for leaving you here."

Imitha sniffed. "Yeah, you should be sorry. I was terrified. I almost packed up my bags for Palaven, but Dad forced me to stay. 'Your friend is running for her life' and 'The least you can do is open up a damn coffee shop'."

Rosemary laughed. That sounded like Imitha and Garrus' father. Speaking of... She had to tell her. "I'm also sorry... for sleeping with your brother."

Imitha exploded. "You WHAT?!"

XOXOXOXO

After an hour's interrogation, Imitha finally left Wakey Brews for Rosemary to finish exploring. Rosemary went to the back of the shop, and found a couple of offices. Assuming the one with the pink walls was Imitha's, she went to look in the one with royal blue walls and brown furnishings.

 _Oh, she knows me_ , Rosemary thought fondly. Her office had all her favorite things: an old-fashioned bureau, a squashy barrel chair, and pictures of her family hung collage-style on the wall. On her desk was a framed picture of her family in happier times. Rosemary touched the picture, her heart alight with warmth and affection for her best friend.

She left her office and realized there was a partition between the offices and the back wall. She clapped her hands with delight when she saw the gated-off play area behind it. It had blocks, child-safe model vehicles, action figures, toys, books – even a small puppet stage. It was a safe area for Oliver and Keeya to play in. _Imitha really is the sweetest!_

Then she saw the cuckoo clock on the back wall, depicting a wooden scene of a turian fishing. A folded note was hanging from the figure's fishing pole. It was paper. No one Rosemary knew used _paper_. She removed it and opened it. Inside, in curly handwriting, were the words: Press My Shoe. Feeling slightly wary, she looked for the figure's shoe, and pressed her finger to it.

A section of the back wall, hidden behind the puppet stage, slid open. Rosemary's eyes widened. A secret room!

No, a safe room. It was a tight fit, but she made it. Inside the room were two fold-out beds, a terminal, and enough provisions to feed a small group of people for a week. Rosemary wondered if the safe room had been Imitha's idea, or Balint's.

She closed the safe room back up and went back to her office. Imitha called her on her omni-tool minutes later. "Well? Did you see the... secret room?" Imitha whispered the last part.

Rosemary smiled. "Yes. It's perfect... just in case. So your idea or Balint's?"

"Well, both... kind of? It was my idea – they had a safe room in my favorite Blasto movie. Balint executed it, though. So did you like your office?"  
They chatted for a bit. It was mostly thank-you's from Rosemary and I-know-I'm-amazing's from Imitha, but the conversation came to an end when Imitha said, "You know, I'm still kinda grossed out that you had sex with my _brother_ , but I'm still glad you had sex. You seem different now. More relaxed."

"Please tell me you don't want details."

"EW. No. He's my _brother_ , Rosemary. But do you think you can find another sex outlet? It might be awkward for me, the innocent little sister – next time the three of us do lunch."

Rosemary groaned. "I'll talk to you later, Imitha."

XOXOXOXO

An hour before she had to leave for her work at C-Sec, Rosemary opened the doors to Wakey Brews to the public for the first time. The shop's first customers were none other than K'Mohi, Nuni, and Balint. It wasn't like she wasn't happy to see them – but things between her and Balint were still weird. Were they friends? Were they ever going to be anything more than friends? She didn't know what she wanted, or what he wanted – so yeah, things were still weird.

K'Mohi had some new armor on, in midnight blue and neon green. Both Nuni and Balint were in C-Sec armor. When she opened the doors, there wasn't a single 'hello' or 'good morning'. Instead, all she got was...

"Coffee on?"

"I'll need mine to go. Do you have premade instant mixes? I'll need about three dozen," K'Mohi said, shoving past her, a almost-manic gleam in her eyes. "I also need coffee. Five minutes ago."

"Dextro frappuccino. No whipped cream, no chocolate syrup."

With no ceremony at all, the three of them shoved past Rosemary to the register. Rosemary shook her head with a grin. She'd turned them into coffee monsters.

No one came in after those three. Rosemary didn't worry; they hadn't even been open for an hour. She was already in a C-Sec uniform; she just had to pre-make the last of the drinks. She checked and double-checked the recipes she was leaving behind for Imitha. She knew it was inevitable that she'd have to hire people to work the shop while she was at her other job... but for now, pre-made drinks would have to do.

Imitha wasn't even there yet. She swore she'd be there in ten minutes... thirty minutes ago. But Rosemary was accustomed to Imitha time – which was why she'd given her the wrong time. She checked her omni-tool. Imitha had twenty minutes left to get to the shop – thinking she had five. "So what's with the fancy new armor, Yadai?"

Yadai shrugged. "It's back to work for me. I'm about to go hunting – for Saeli T'Garu."

Rosemary nodded. "On the Normandy?"

The Spectre nodded. "Saeli's a dangerous target. I'm partnering with Alenko on this one."

"Also, no one else will let you ride with them," Balint muttered. "After you blew up that last frigate – the Council won't even give you a fighter."

Rosemary and Nuni grinned.

"I have a dangerous job," Yadai defended herself.

"Yeah, that's why they gave you a babysitter. Alenko has his own ship – and has a mind to avoid property damage."

"Yeah, yeah..."

Nuni grabbed her to-go mug and nudged Rosemary. "We've got to go, Rosemary. Lot of work today."

"Thanks for the drink, Rose," Balint said, raising his mug.

Rosemary nodded. Imitha barreled through the door just as they were leaving. "So sorry I'm late," she stammered.

Rosemary waved goodbye to Imitha and hurried after Nuni on the street. She tried to ignore the officer following them at a discrete distance. Nuni wasn't as discrete. She waved for the officer to join them. "Don't know why he has to be all secret agent-ish," Nuni complained. When the officer got closer, Rosemary suppressed a smile. It was the officer with the crush on her quarian friend.

"So what do you mean by a 'lot of work'?"

Nuni took a sip of her coffee while they waited for the officer to catch up. It was going to take a few minutes; there was a lot of foot traffic today. "Oh, there's been a lot of gang activity while you've been gone. The gangs have claimed most of the territory that's to be had – but Veracia thinks it'll be months before territory lines are more or less set. We've been seeing a lot of action. Even me."

That was surprising. Veracia didn't seem to like Nuni for some reason; to take her off desk duty was significant in itself.

"So what do we have? The usual terrible three? Blood Pack, Eclipse, and Blue Suns?"

The quarian hesitated. "Yes, and... Divide."

Rosemary was confused. "Wait... Divide is... a gang?"

Nuni shook her head. "Look, Rosemary – I'm sorry for what they've put you through, but you need to realize something. Divide isn't an overwhelming, terrifying force. They aren't the Reapers. They're a hate group – simple as that."

Rosemary could see some truth in what Nuni was saying. The Divide... scared and enraged her like hell, but... they weren't the Reapers. Yes, her father was dead, but the Reapers had killed _millions_. As twisted as it sounded, realizing that made Rosemary feel a little bit better. According to Cicely – there were thousands of members in Divide. They weren't the Reapers – and she had survived their War. She could survive this. _I won't let those assholes win._


	18. Ch 18

**CHAPTER 18**

Nuni was right; they had a lot of work to do. The notes waiting to be re-formatted into official reports covered her table, and the nearest three tables. Nuni patted Rosemary sympathetically on the back. "There's more in Cell 2B. Boxes and boxes of notes!"

Rosemary stared at her friend in disbelief. "Did you do _nothing_ while I was gone?"

Nuni shrugged. "Like I said, it's been busy. I've been pushing bullets more than paperwork these days."

Resigning herself to the inevitable, Rosemary took her old seat and started to work. It was hours later, when she had cleared a fifteenth of her workload – that she finally visited the precinct kitchen for sustenance.

Weirdly enough, she didn't feel like having coffee. Instead, she took one of the orange juice packs she'd brought to work that day.

 _Mmm... tangy._

"Glad to see you back, Feeger?"

"No coffee, Fledger?"

"Welcome back, Retcher."

The C-Sec officers were friendlier than they'd been when she'd left – that was for sure. Most of them didn't get her name right; but life was never perfect. The reason behind their friendliness escaped her, however. What she absolutely couldn't understand is why she hadn't seen Veracia all morning. He disliked her far more than Nuni, and took pleasure in her clerical misery.

Tross and Rynak stopped by her desk to welcome her back to the force. They were very happy to hear that Wakey Brews was now open, and promised to visit after their shift. Nuni's admirer stopped by too, to offer his own greeting, glancing at Nuni's desk – which was right next to hers. Nuni was hard at work, however – and it became very obvious that the quarian didn't know he existed. Rosemary felt kind of sorry for him, especially since she didn't know his name – in her mind she always referred to him as Nuni's admirer.

With Nuni's help, they managed to get through half the work in record time – just three minutes before the end of her shift. Her fingers ached from typing.

"I can't believe you get to go home," Nuni said enviously. "What do I get? An hour break and then it's out on patrol for me."

"That's because I'm just a secretary," Rosemary said smugly. "You are a big, bad, for-real C-Sec officer."

"Your sarcasm wounds me," Nuni said wryly. "Go on then. Leave me to my hell."

"I will!"

Rosemary took Rapid Transit to Wakey Brews. She walked into the place, pleasantly surprised to find it already bustling with customers. Imitha looked relieved to see her. "Oh, thank the Spirits!" She waved Rosemary down, looking absolutely disheveled. "We need about three more pots of dextro coffee, we're out of Rannoch Spicer, and I can't find the hazelnut creamers!"

Imitha looked like she was about to cry, so Rosemary did a quick change in her office and took over for her friend at the counter. Four hours later, Rosemary found Imitha in her office, put together once more, but looking completely panicked. "I can't do this by myself, Rosemary."

"Relax, sweetie. What happened?"

"First of all... Nuni did too good a job at advertising the place. Do you know how many C-Sec officers came in? _Too_ many. And they told their friends... How am I supposed to bake when I'm manning the front? I'm only one turian! I burned two entire batches of cookies," Imitha confessed, tearing up.

Rosemary felt terrible. She hadn't thought they'd be so busy so soon. "I'm so sorry, Imitha. I promise: I'll start hiring tomorrow."

"No! Tonight," Imitha insisted.

Rosemary shook her head. Imitha wasn't thinking straight. "It's going to take some time putting out an ad, Imitha..."

"Forget putting out an ad! You know people, and those people know other people! Reach out to Nuni, the scary Spectre lady..."

"Yadai's out hunting."

"Fine, then Balint! He's chummy with the councilors, isn't he?" Imitha was beginning to sound desperate.

Rosemary tried to get her friend to see sense. "I don't think the councilors are the type to work in a coffee shop, Imitha. Look, we can start tomorrow and..."

"Rosemary Dead-Varren-Meat Fletcher, if you don't find me some help by tomorrow morning I will gut you with a spoon," Imitha threatened, her subharmonics taking on a menacing tone. Rosemary's eyes widened. Imitha was glaring at her, her sharp blue eyes promising death. _Jeez. I've never seen her like this before. I don't really know her, do I?_

And so, with great reluctance, Rosemary sent off a message to Balint. Imitha went to her office to 'de-stress' – which in Imitha's case, 'de-stress' was synonymous with sleep. While she waited for Balint to message her back, she went to her own office to unpack a few more personal items.

Rosemary's nose itched with the effort of trying to hold back tears as she took her father's urn from a box and placed it under his picture on the wall. Right next to her mother's picture and urn. She was alone now... No, not alone, but she was the only one looking after Oliver now... and now she had Keeya and thousands of hybrids to worry and stress about. Imitha was right next door, but she hugged herself, feeling the loneliness cut at her heart. She wanted to cry, but didn't. She didn't want Imitha to hear her. She didn't want anyone to think she couldn't handle the weight of her responsibilities.

A noise came from the front of the store. Rosemary took a deep breath before she stood to investigate. She'd closed the shop, hadn't she?

Balint was dragging in a large crate. He hadn't seen her yet. He moved it all the way to the back of the shop before finally seeing her standing in the doorway of her office. Rosemary was impressed; the crate was as large as she was, and he wasn't the slightest bit out of breath. "What is it?"

Balint looked embarrassed. "Er... It's um... I made some calls."

"Okay...?"

"It's your table. From Earth."

Rosemary couldn't believe it. Her mother's table? It had devastated her, but she had chosen to leave it behind on Earth. It had simply been too large and heavy to transport. She had left it to be donated to the local second-hand store. "When did you...?"

"After you left. You mad?"

She answered that question by walking up to him and hugging him. "Thank you," she whispered.

XOXOXOXO

By the time Imitha and Balint went out, it was 'night' in the Citadel. Or rather, the artificial light the Citadel generated was dimmed to simulate night. According to Balint, Oliver and Keeya were at home, safe, under the watchful eyes of almost a dozen officers. Rosemary decided to do some last-minute shopping in the Zakera Ward.

Half an hour later, Rosemary was quite pleased with herself. It had been a productive evening; she had made a few deals with suppliers for the shop, and now she was looking for a way home. The lines for the Rapid Transits were pretty long at this time of night. She debated getting something to eat, but decided against it. She'd prefer eating at home, with her family.

She slowed down as she walked past a sunbathing studio – advertising revitalizing artificial sunlight, of course. Still, Rosemary was tempted. It had been a month since her last sunbathing session, when EDI had parked the Normandy near Utopia's sun in the Exodus Cluster. She bit her lip, unsure. She did a quick check of her accounts. Should she splurge...?

 _No, not this time._ She had to get home, and she didn't want to rush a sunbathing. She had stuff to do, and she could last another week or so. She started to go back down the street.

There were a lot of people on the street, coming and going from the shops still open. She'd been seeing a lot of krogan and vorcha around the street corners in familiar red armor – had the Blood Pack claimed this part of the Wards? She hurried her pace, suddenly feeling uneasy. There was a strange smell in the air – she couldn't exactly describe it. It didn't smell like a physical thing, really... more like anger... and excitement?

Was this a krogan thing? Because of Keeya, she now knew that krogans had a freakishly good sense of smell. She didn't know what to think. Could someone really smell... emotions? Was she smelling some kind of weird pheromones?

She didn't want to think about it. Spying a line to a Rapid Transit that was a few people shorter than any of the other lines she'd seen, Rosemary walked faster. Then she saw a turian in full armor turn the corner a few shops down. It wasn't the fact that she was in armor that set Rosemary in a panic – soldiers and C-Sec officers in full armor was a common sight on the Citadel. But the fact that the armor was white – and that she was wearing a familiar purple mask – threw her mind into hysteria. She looked around quickly, and ran to hide behind some crates by a seafood restaurant. _Why does this keep happening to me?!_

Rosemary tried to make herself as small as possible so as not to be seen by the almost-three dozen white-armored people go by. From what she could see between the crates, they were all brandishing weapons. Rosemary closed her eyes when the first shot rang out, and people started screaming. _No, no!_ Furious at her own cowardice, Rosemary forced herself to open her eyes and type a quick message to Balint. The Divide was here! But where was here...? _Ah, crap_.

XOXOXOXO

Rosemary cowered behind the crates, wincing at the sound of gunshots exploding all around her. She'd been hiding for almost twenty minutes, not daring to move. _Where the hell is C-Sec?!_ She couldn't believe she was smack in the middle of a damn gang war! _Why me...?!_

Her omni-tool flashed. She let out her breath. Balint was here. He was looking for her, but she didn't know where she was, exactly. She couldn't very well send up a flare. _Damn it!_

She had no choice. She had to see where she was. Rosemary inched down the alley in the direction of the lesser sound of gunshots. She crept to the side door of a restaurant called 'The Stand'. _Wait a minute..._ She'd heard of this place. Nuni had mentioned in passing that this place had pretty good ramen. She had remembered that, because it'd been a long time since she'd had ramen. She passed her location to Balint on her omni-tool.

She looked up and froze. A quarian and his son were huddling behind the exposed bar of the restaurant's front. Then she saw a krogan charge down a Divide batarian only a few feet away _… Damn it!_ Rosemary took a deep breath and shot out from cover. Praying for luck, she climbed over the bar to get to them. Her heart was beating a million miles a minute, unable to believe what she'd just done.

"What...?!" The quarian stared at her.

Rosemary shook her head. "Get into the restaurant," she hissed. "It's safer inside."

The quarian shook his head. "No – it's closed. Locked from the inside. Almost got shot when I tried it."

Not more than twenty feet away from them, they heard a barrage of bullets shoot through glass – shards exploded all around them. Rosemary instinctively moved and rose up just enough to shield them.

Rosemary peeked over the bar to see the krogan and batarian, locked in close, bloody combat. Calling on the burning energy in her veins, she ran to the door of the restaurant and pulled. Sure enough, it was locked. Gritting her teeth, she tightened her hand on the handle and roared as she _ripped_ the door almost off its hinges. Rosemary panted. Employing her krogan strength came to her more easily these days – but at a price. Her head was now throbbing, and her limbs were burning from exhaustion.

The quarian and his son couldn't believe their eyes – but they knew better than to ask questions. They thanked her and made a run for it. She tried to run in after them, but a bullet blasted into the wall by her head.

"You! Abomination," the batarian screamed, running toward her.

Rosemary slammed the door and faced the Divide member, her legs feeling weak from fear... and annoyance? Did every member of Divide have her face memorized? Was she that big a threat? She wasn't even a soldier!

Rosemary only had her strength, and he wasn't close enough to tackle. He raised his gun – _Oh, shit!_

She could only stare as an omni-blade ran through the batarian from behind. He fell, and she saw Balint standing behind him, his omni-blade wet with blood. He looked at her, his eyes flashing golden in the streetlights. He was shouting at her. "Come on!"

Rosemary forced herself to move, and soon she and Balint were running for the abandoned Rapid Transit. They were running past felled vorcha and krogan, and the occasional gangster in white armor. Did Balint do all that? She was impressed. But... he was a sniper, wasn't he? Well, Garrus was too, and he had still handled himself well with that Divide assassin.

"RAAAAAGH!"

"Oof!" Rosemary was knocked off her feet and pinned to the wall by a charging krogan. She struggled, confused. Why was he attacking _her_? She wasn't even wearing armor! Then she saw it – the krogan's eyes were slashed. The krogan roared in her face – in pain and in a blood-frenzied rage. He couldn't tell who or what she was! He gripped her up by her throat. Rosemary thrashed helplessly. She may have krogan strength, but this krogan was stronger.

The krogan tried to knock down Balint with his other arm, but the C-Sec officer grabbed it. She gasped for breath, disbelieving what she was seeing. Balint was _stronger_ than the krogan. He pressed his pistol under the krogan's chin. "We're not Divide, you idiot," Balint spat. "We're C-Sec."

The krogan hesitated. He let go of Rosemary, and she fell to the ground.

"Get down! Get down!"

The cavalry had arrived. At least fifty C-Sec officers stormed the area, with Veracia himself at the forefront. Rosemary was relieved to see them. Veracia glared at Rosemary. "You seem to attract trouble, Fletcher," he growled.

Rosemary massaged her throat. "No, sir," she rasped. "I just have shit-bad luck."

Veracia grunted agreement.


	19. Ch 19

**CHAPTER 19**

Veracia was downright wrathful when the Councilors insisted Rosemary take a few days off to 'recuperate' from her 'harrowing ordeal'. She had a mountain of paperwork to work through, he argued – their files were deplorably out-of-date. Hadn't her 'vacation aboard the Normandy' been 'vacation, enough?!', he had spluttered. Their efficiency was down thirty percent! It was a rare occurrence, but Rosemary happened to agree with her ornery boss. She hadn't been hurt in the gang skirmish – she was perfectly fine! So she ended up staying at home, as they had ordered her to, but she didn't waste that valuable time with 'resting'.

Nuni sent over stacks of notes for her to transcribe into reports, soothing Veracia's great anger. He had actually seemed grateful when Rosemary had insisted on doing her work from home, Nuni had revealed. She found she worked better in the comfort at her own home. She wandered around the townhouse for a long time in her pajamas, working on reports, helping Oliver with his homework, and playing and reading with Keeya.

Keeya was getting more confident by the day. Rosemary thought it had something to do with Oliver having retained the krogan toughness Keeya had given him that one time. Oliver was an UEF like her, only not being an adult, he hadn't been able to retain anything but hard, plate-like skin. However, with toughened skin, he was able to rough-house with Keeya more often, much to the toddler's glee. Knowing that she couldn't really hurt her new brother had given her the confidence to express herself more – and these days, she expressed herself by pouncing on anyone she could from the shadows – much to the C-Sec guards' dismay. No wonder Keeya adored Balint so; from what she'd seen, Rosemary knew he could physically handle her strength as well.

Rosemary settled into the living room's couch to go over the list of coffee shop applicants Balint had given her. Tross, the newest addition to the townhouse security team, looked over her shoulder.

"What's that," he asked.

"Balint gave me a list of possible help for the coffee shop," she explained, biting into an apple. She chewed and swallowed before expressing her amazement. "I don't know how he got so many people to apply in such a short amount of time. I'm grateful though; Imitha has been breathing down my neck to get more help. I wonder how he did it, though..."

"Terror tactics," the batarian said plainly.

"You're joking."

Tross' four eyes blinked. "Why? What's Fortem like with you?"

Rosemary thought about it. "Well... he's flirty." Or rather, he used to be, anyway. "Easygoing, kind," she said, thinking about how he was with the kids.

The batarian snorted. " _You're_ joking. Fortem is the meanest son of a bitch on the force."

Rosemary couldn't believe it. "No. That's Veracia."

The batarian barked out a laugh. "You got me there. But no, Veracia's bad – but he's prejudiced. He plays favorites – so he's nice to _somebody_. He's easy to read. Now, Fortem? He's hard on _everyone_. Knows just how to intimidate the hell out of anyone – be it a punch to the face, or a hellish transfer. He once stuck me on patrol on the roof of the Presidium for questioning him – I don't know _how_ the bastard knew my fear of heights. You don't even want to know how many of us he's punched in the face. I think it's his thing. Real physical, that one."

Rosemary remembered Balint gutting the Divide gangster from the other day. She had wondered to why he just hadn't used his gun. Yeah, he was physical all right. _Wonder what he's like in bed_ , she thought before she could stop herself. Her face feeling flushed, Rosemary tried to distract the officer by saying, "I wouldn't expect a sniper to be so... hot-headed."

Tross shrugged. "Oh, he has a temper. But he doesn't lash out really – that's not his way. He waits, plots, and then takes you out, exacting maximum suffering. He's ruthless." He almost sounded admiring of his superior's brutish ways. "He's only been like that since his partner left the force, though. Before that, he was actually approachable."

"His partner?"

"Yeah, one of the Citadel heroes: Garrus Vakarian. Garrus couldn't stand the office politics. Don't blame him for leaving. Fortem turned into a hard-ass when he left, though. Got into a lot of fights. Bailey finally stuck him on guard duty for the Councilors – until you came along."

Rosemary realized that she didn't really know Balint all that well, hearing all of this. Also, hearing that Garrus, her friend-with-benefits, had been partners with Balint, someone she was getting feelings for – made her want to bash her head into the wall. _All this – GOD – DAMN – DRAMA!_ She masked her inner shrieking with an idly curious expression she directed on Tross. "If he's so feared – how did he get this list of people for me?"

"All he needed to do was walk around here," Tross told her. "A few of us have family or friends that need jobs. He didn't ask for names, though – he demanded them. And we know better than to refuse Fortem."

 _Huh_. Rosemary returned her attention to the list. _You learn something new every day..._

XOXOXOXO

She finally decided to take a few hours off from her work. Accompanied by three officers, Rosemary, Oliver, and Keeya took a Rapid Transit skycar to the Crucible – to relax in the renowned Shepard Park.

It wasn't a park, they realized, but a district easily the size of a single Citadel arm – entirely devoted to the cultivation of grass, trees, and the occasional bench. Rosemary was no botanist, but she was fairly sure all the greenery she was seeing were not all native to Earth. She recognized an apple tree here and there, and maybe a rosebush, but she also saw a bush with glowing nuts, a section of curling, purple grass, and trees with shining, jet-black trunks. All of it was so intricately and artistically entwined as to create a lush marvel of alien landscapes. She breathed in the multitude of floral, bitter, and green scents, alighting her senses with wonder.

Right smack in the middle of the 'park' was a gigantic statue of none other than Emma Shepard herself... looking very dashing and heroic. Oliver was impressed, though slightly critical. "It looks like Shepard, but everyone knows she didn't wear the standard N7 armor much. In almost all the vids, she's wearing Serrice Council."

One of their guards shook their heads, grinning at her brother's disappointed tone. Rosemary felt like shaking her head herself. It was hard to satisfy kids these days. They were standing under a _giant_ statue of his hero – shouldn't that have been enough? Keeya wasn't really interested in the statue – more in the bugs at her feet. She laughed gleefully, chasing insects out of the grass.

Rosemary took out the blanket she had brought and laid it out in the shade of a purple-leaved tree. She had brought enough meat pies for everyone – much to everyone's dismay. Sighing, she confessed that Imitha had baked the pies – then everyone's expression turned happy and they dug in with gusto. They spent a pleasurable hour eating and talking. The guards tried not to look too relaxed and content as they watched Oliver and Keeya dart around the green, running their hearts out. Rosemary gathered up the trash and was putting away the one pie that was left over when her eyes fell on the luxury housing across the way... She remembered Imitha mentioning that her father had bought Garrus a condo near Shepard Park. She wondered where the Normandy was now...

"I hope you enjoyed your repast, Fletcher."

The guards stood to attention as Councilor Eastment approached, his own set of guards following behind him. Rosemary caught one of them glaring at one of their guards, one of their fellow C-Sec officers, with... envy? Then she remembered that they had just enjoyed a picnic in a park – while Eastment's guards had probably spent all day... guarding. She fought back a smile.

Somehow Councilor Eastment retained his authoritative air in casual clothes. Well, a casual suit anyway. _Maybe it's the ascot._ She narrowed her eyes. "Why are you here, Councilor?"

Councilor Eastment arched a brow at her suspicious tone. He got straight to the point. "We have work to do, Fletcher."

"It's my day off," she argued.

"You're an adult now," he scolded. ", and a bureaucrat. There's no such things as 'days off'," he said, half seriously.

He must have her confused with someone else. "I'm a secretary and a manager of a coffee shop – hardly a bureaucrat."

"Not anymore."

"What?"

Eastment looked around them, at the magnificent landscapes, studiously avoiding her narrowed gaze. His voice was casual as he informed her, "Your official titles are now Clerical Manager at Citadel Security, General Manager of... what was it... Wakey Brews, and Head Administrator at the Center for Synthesis Research."

 _NO._ She already had two jobs! "I'm afraid I must decline -"

The Councilor ignored her. "The Center for Synthesis Research is the heart of the new development. … If you want anyone to blame – blame yourself and Balint Fortem."

"What?"

"We – the Council – would have preferred you take residence in the development, but Fortem convinced us not to remove you from your present abode. He believed the lives of your family has been uprooted enough, and in his words 'She loves the townhouse. Let her stay there, for crying out loud'."

Rosemary felt warmth for Balint at hearing that, but she still didn't want what he was offering. Then again, from his tone, it wasn't an offer. He was merely informing her on what had been decided for her. She had to fight it, though. "Head Administrator? That sounds like a job that requires a few degrees. I don't even have a college education!"

Eastment inclined his head, conceding her point. "Experience is your resume. You have proven yourself more than capable of handling extreme situations..."

The truth hit her. Her eyes narrowed once again. "You don't have anyone else, do you?"

Eastment cleared his throat. "... No. No, we don't." Her look insisted on further explanation, and he felt compelled to oblige her in this. "We... need someone who can handle the excess flow of energy from hybrids – and you are the only UEF that we know of. Well, you and your brother. And you have clearance."

Rosemary didn't like what she was hearing – and understanding. "So... less Head Administrator, more... backup battery?"

"... Yes."

XOXOXOXO

Author's Note: Thank you everyone for your comments! They keep me inspired to keep writing! Also, sorry for all the typos. Been focused on speed, rather than grammar. I am slightly ashamed at myself for that. But... I promise to go back over and edit as soon as the story's done! Hope everyone understands! :3


	20. Ch 20

**CHAPTER 20**

She only had one more mandatory day of 'recuperation' left, and she spent all of that morning doing interviews. She ignored the messages Eastment sent, inquiring as to her state of mind – which was accepting the new job the Council had decided to force upon her. She didn't want to accept any new responsibility – and what they were asking – was a _huge_ one. Like she needed more responsibility.

The interviews lasted all morning. Her questions were indirect, meant to gauge the potential to learn – rather than ability. Not a lot of aliens drank coffee – ergo the lack of trained baristas on the Citadel. At the end of the day she settled on an asari, Ossuri O'Nora, and a female krogan, Haka Pugo. Both interviews had been rather interesting.

Rosemary had never encountered a female krogan before. Understandably, before the cure of the genophage, the krogan had kept their females hidden, and safe. Now, it was... different.

It had taken Imitha a long time to make Rosemary's drink. She was still learning Rosemary's recipes – but she was trying hard, and that's what mattered. Rosemary hadn't had her coffee yet, so she had been rather blunt with Haka Pugo, who had been her first interview.

"Why do you need the work," Rosemary asked the female krogan straight out. "I thought you guys were busy making babies."

Haka smiled. Female krogan were slightly smaller than their male counterparts, and far more graceful. Rosemary didn't think she'd encountered anyone – human or not – as graceful. Haka's every movement was purposeful, and surprisingly delicate. Her voice was deep like most krogan, but musical at the same time. Her wide-set eyes were like liquid pools of amber, and her plates were a smooth, olive-green color. "I just gave birth, actually. Over the past year, I produced clutches of almost eight hundred eggs. I need to make a living to support all my children."

 _Eight hundred...?_ Rosemary was beyond impressed – she was flabbergasted. Taking care of eight hundred children – all roughly the same age? It wasn't just mind-boggling – it was impossible! "You know we're only offering average wages. This is a small shop."

Haka shrugged. "You have to start somewhere. You can't expect someone to have an impressive resume if they spent most of their lives in hiding."

"Do you have support? Do your children, um... their father...?" Rosemary couldn't think of a delicate way to phrase the question.

"Jogh of the Urdnot clan."

 _Jogh... the name sounds familiar._ "Oh... are you... married," she asked, mostly out of curiosity.

Haka smiled and shook her head. "He's been asking – but he's an arrogant ass. I'm going to let him beg a little more. He's the bodyguard to the Krogan Ambassador, Bakara Urdnot."

"Where are you going to live?"

"In the new development for hybrids. I don't think they've named it yet."

Rosemary was confused. "Oh, but.."

Haka understood her confusion. "No, they're not. But your Councilor is hoping that with us living there, Wrex will deploy more krogans for our security. He's a shrewd human."

Eastment and his manipulations... Rosemary liked Haka, and she also liked the other person she hired, an asari named Ossuri O'Nora.

Ossuri was a pale blue asari with swirling, white tattoos covering every inch of her body. She wore a revealing outfit, baring her toned middle and the glittering purple gem hanging at her belly button. Rosemary knew she'd have to cover up a little, working at Wakey Brews, and Ossuri had assured her that it would not be a problem. The best thing about Ossuri was her honesty.

"So I'll be working the day shift here, but I'll have to leave every day at the same time – no overtime. I've got my other job at Naughty at night to get to."

Rosemary blinked. "The strip club?"

"That's the one."

"You're... a stripper?"

Ossuri grinned at Rosemary's expression. "That won't be a problem, will it?"

Rosemary shook her head. "No, not really. But you do realize... we don't pay nearly as much as you earn stripping. This is a coffee shop. A small coffee shop."

Ossuri appreciated Rosemary's candor. "Oh, I know. It'll just be a little extra pocket credits for me. A friend brought me one of your lattes the other day – I was hooked. I'll get a few free if I work here, right?"

Rosemary didn't know what to think of that. "Well, yes, but... I wouldn't want you to go crazy, though. Maybe one or two free ones a day..."

The asari shrugged. "That'd be perfect. It's basically free coffee – and I'll learn the craft – learn to make the drinks myself. It'll be less of a job, and more of an education."

Rosemary smiled, liking her drive. "That's true."

Ossuri smiled back. "I couldn't get that latte out of my mind. Your drinks are almost better than sex. Almost."

Rosemary hadn't had any qualms about hiring people. Soon, she would be drawing on three salaries, so credits would no longer be a big problem. She was going to take the Administrator job – it wasn't like she had a choice. But she needed time to process... and organize her thoughts.

Time, however, would be something she wouldn't have anymore. She'd be working at C-Sec in the mornings, Wakey Brews in the afternoons, and on the development in the evenings. She'd be completely drained – with no time left over to spend with her family and friends.

She'd had an explosive argument with Veracia over her omni-tool earlier that day. All she'd wanted was for him to hire more clerical help - ! What had Eastment called her position... _Oh, right!_ She was now the Clerical Manager at Citadel Security! Which implied that there should be more than one person with clerical duties at C-Sec! Her argument fell on deaf ears, and ended when Veracia hung up on her.

Seething, she went over his head and found the contact information for the Commander – who laughed in her face when she told him what she wanted. That disgruntled her – Bailey was a respected name throughout C-Sec, and he was laughing at her.

"I've heard about you around the Embassies. Word is you're getting demanding," he drawled.

Rosemary sniffed. "Tough. I've had a lot of demands put on me."

She could almost hear him grin through her omni-tool. "Heh, I hear ya. … Fine. You'll get more people."

"... Can we get offices, too? I mean, I work on a desk near the bathrooms – "

"Don't push it, Fletcher. I'm only human."

XOXOXOXO

That afternoon, green flickers of light were sputtering just under Rosemary's skin. She had no choice – she needed a recharge. She took Oliver and Keeya with her to the sunbathing salon in the Zakera Wards, accompanied by a trio of officers.

In large, the Zakera Wards were still undergoing repair. Rosemary steered Oliver and Keeya away from the places most riddled with bullet holes, and the bits of pavement with patches of dried blood. The sunbathing salon was still open, thankfully, and there were beds available for all three of them.

Two of the officers stood guard outside the stalls that Oliver and Keeya went in, while the third took his position outside Rosemary's. She narrowed her eyes at him. "No peeking," she ordered. He only grinned.

She knew the officer well by now, and knew that he wasn't completely beyond getting a peek of her in the stall – so she checked the lock before laying down on the bed, facing the door. Her clothes were folded neatly on a nearby stand, and she had just gotten in a comfortable position before the artificial sunlight buzzed on.

She would never admit it, but getting naked for sunbathing had always led her mind down arousing paths. She missed Garrus. She missed his company, and definitely the sex. But she realized she missed his company more. He was the ultimate friend with benefits, she thought with a grin. Then she thought about the sex again. That turian had forever spoiled her sex life. She couldn't be with another human again – not after that. It had been... addicting. The talons had been a minor issue, but hey, that's what medi-gel was for, she thought, smirking to herself.

After an hour of sunbathing, the group went home. It had been the perfect relaxing end to a stressful day. Until just after dinner – when Councilor Eastment showed up at her front door. She saw him through the window, with his guards. He rapped on the door.

Rosemary stopped one of her guards from opening it. She did it herself, looked at the Councilor with an arched brow – and politely shut the door in his face. Rosemary's cheer instantly returned. _My, that was satisfying!_

Tross cleared his throat. "Um... I don't think you're supposed to do that."


	21. Ch 21

**CHAPTER 21**

She knew shutting the door in the Councilor's face had been pointless – and hugely inappropriate – but lordy, it had given her just so _much_ satisfaction!

Ten minutes later, after Tross had informed Balint of the Councilor's arrival, Rosemary was sitting opposite the Councilor in the living room area. She was determinedly unrepentant. The Councilor looked mildly annoyed when he asked, "I'll take it you'll take the job?"

"Oh, I have a choice?" It was hard to keep the bitterness from her voice.

The Councilor sighed. "Technically, yes... but we both know you'll do it."

Rosemary leaned forward. "You know, I had a very simple dream. I wanted to spend my life serving coffee to people – make them happy. What you're asking is – "

"An immense responsibility?"

"... Yes." She wanted him – no, needed him to understand that the Council wanted her to do the impossible... at least in her case. "I really don't think I can handle that. For one, I haven't had the training. I told you before – I never even went to college!"

"It's never too late for an education," Eastment countered smoothly. "And you will have people who will support you."

"Great! Make one of them Head Administrator!"

Eastment inclined his head. "We toyed with that idea... which is why you'll be Head Administrator – on a trial basis. If at the end of the period, you show complete ineptitude at the task – you will be free."

There was hope! Eastment leaned forward, his eyes dark with purpose. "I want you to try, though. Everyone has dreams, Rosemary. But will you really be satisfied knowing that because you didn't want to do your bit to help – that thousands of children may be at risk? Not everyone gets the opportunity to better the world – or in this case, the galaxy. Do you really want to squander this chance to do real good?"

His words were like shots to Rosemary's heart. Of course she wanted to do good – to leave her mark in the time she had. Didn't most people? That was why she took such pleasure in having her coffee shop, her little happy corner of the galaxy. But that had been the extent of her ambition. Eastment made her think... that what she wanted was just that. It was what _she_ wanted. She wanted to be happy – but who was she to ignore the dreams... the happiness of others? The Council was offering her power – real power.

"Think about it." With that, he left.

Rosemary sat in the living room, thinking. Eastment hadn't known she had already resigned herself to the Council's appointment, but she hadn't fully realized its significance.

Again, she reminded herself – _I'm not Shepard_. Emma Shepard had fought for what she thought was right – all over the galaxy. She'd died once – and when she'd been brought back to life, been given a second chance – she'd leapt right back into the fray. She hadn't run away to pursue her own happiness like Rosemary would have. She'd died a second and final time – to give the galaxy a future.

What had she done with her life? For so long, her mother's dream had been her own. Have a coffee shop and bring comfort and smiles to its customers – that had been her dream, too. Would Rosamund Fletcher have done more... if she had given the power? She didn't have to think about it. _Mom... wouldn't have hesitated. God, I'm being a whiny... selfish baby. Emphasis on whiny._

Eastment had successfully pressed the point home. She knew what she had to do. _Damn it._

XOXOXOXO

She was returning to C-Sec the next morning. So she had under seven hours to work.

 _Screw sleep._ Rosemary bathed the children, brushed their teeth, brushed Oliver's hair, oiled Keeya's crest, and tucked them in bed after reading them a story. Then she locked herself in her room.

She needed to organize. Ideas were already cluttering her mind – in a wild, chaotic mess. She cleared everything off of one wall in her room so that she could project her omni-tool's data all in one place. She also got comfortable, taking off all her clothes, and putting on an oversized shirt boasting a print of a sleepy-looking cartoon lion. Then she got down to business.

First, she organized the Wakey Brews' shift schedules according to the employees' availability. When she was done, she sent the final result to Imitha's omni-tool. It would be there when her friend woke up. Next, she set about to equally distribute the workload at C-Sec, to be shared among at least four people. When she checked the time, it was only midnight. Rosemary smiled, pleased with herself. _Not bad... not bad at all._

Lastly, she opened the messages Eastment had sent that she'd ignored. Attached to one were the plans for the new development. From his notes, she realized that it was only a few months away from being finished. No wonder Eastment had been so pushy... The architects had chosen to build into the Crucible itself, molding buildings to fit already existing structure. _Clever._ They must have started work on this a while ago. She studied the plans. A third of the development was already finished – built for commercial use. She had a strong suspicion that it had been done to entice the 'great financial powers' that the salarian councilor had been going on about. She understood his anger a little better now. He had made a huge investment... only to have it re-purposed into a non-profit venture.

The most important thing about the development had to be its defenses. Ideally, she'd want a wall erected around its borders, but she didn't want the children to feel as if they were in a prison.

Someone knocked on the door. Rosemary unlocked it to see Balint, still in his C-Sec armor, bearing a wondrous gift – coffee.

"You are an angel," she murmured, taking a mug. She sipped, and moaned with surprise. He'd done her signature creation – her Black Irishman. Just the right amount of sugar, chocolate syrup, coffee, and Irish Cream... and chilled to perfection. _Oh, it's good. Very good. … Almost as good as mine. Is that a bad thing?_

Balint closed the door behind him. He had brought his own mug. He scanned the information on the wall, cocked his head, and asked, "Need any help?"

Grateful, Rosemary outlined her most recent problem. "... so I don't want the children to feel confined, but for their protection..."

Balint leaned against her bedpost. "Biotic barrier?"

Rosemary thought about it for a minute, then shook her head. "No, it's a large development. It'll be too much of an energy draw. And even if we do get the funds for it, it'll take at least a year to erect."

Balint put down his mug on her bedstand. "May I?"

Why not? "Go right ahead."

Balint hesitated. "I'll need your omni-tool. You already have all the files up – you just need my clearance."

Rosemary reluctantly extended her arm. The turian stepped close and gently took her arm. Rosemary tried to pretend his touch didn't affect her by maintaining a carefully stoic expression. Balint pressed a few buttons, typed in a code, and drew up plans on her projection. Rosemary frowned, confused. "What am I looking at?"

"These are the plans for the krogan, quarian, and geth embassies."

"Oh! How far have they come along?" Rosemary was thrilled, knowing that the krogan, quarian, and geth people were finally being recognized for their galactic contributions. It was about time! _Progress! What a beautiful thing!_

"This is it."

"Excuse me?"

Balint sighed. "This is how far they've come. They've been... delayed. The amount of red tape that's been thrown up to delay their inclusion into the core of the galactic community has been... ridiculous and meticulously calculated. Too many races – too many politicians, don't want them. These plans are a... bone the politicians threw to shut them up."

"How long...?"

"A little over two years."

Rosemary sat on her bed, her shoulders slumped. "That's not progress, that's... I don't know what that is. It's stupid... and mean... and stupid... Did I already say stupid," she muttered to herself.

"Sorry, didn't catch that."

"... Nothing imporant. … So why did you bring these up?"

"They're getting impatient – the krogan, the geth, and the quarians. Especially the krogan. You should toss the idea to any councilor but the salarian of building the embassies around the development. Their embassies would be separate from the others, but they would be there – and they could be the development's first line of defense. It's a good compromise. And the combined security would more than deter Divide assassins."

Rosemary liked the idea, but... "And beyond the embassies?"

Balint shrugged. "I still think a biotic barrier would be your best bet. But you're right – that's talking too much power."

 _Power..._ Rosemary's eyes widened. "Wait... Hundreds of families will be coming here." She brought up a file and projected it on the wall. "Look, see? Two thirds of the hybrids have asari parentage. Their biotic abilites are off the charts! If we could find a way to siphon off the excess biotic energy into a wall..."

Balint straightened. "That's... brilliant."

Rosemary beamed. She and Balint worked well together – like partners. "We have a lot of calls to make... you ready?"

Balint's golden eyes glinted at the challenge. He bared his teeth in a grin. "Let's get to work."

XOXOXOXO

Author's Note: Lemon ahead!


	22. Ch 22

WARNING! LEMON AHEAD!

LEMON

LEMON

ALIEN LEMON

 **CHAPTER 22**

Rosemary and Balint worked late into the night. Rosemary wasn't sure when she passed out – but she woke up curled next to Balint on her bed – fully-clothed. _Thank God._ She squinted at the window. It wasn't even dawn. Still, she felt a little refreshed.

She studied Balint, who lay on the bed next to her, eyes closed. She studied him, taking her time. He looked so relaxed in his sleep... She admired the cut and angle of his mandibles, the curve of his fringe, and the tiny scars etched along the edge of his jaw. She didn't know why – but she found scars kind of sexy. To her they were badges of strength and experience... and she found herself wondering exactly how many scars Balint had under his armor. Also – who wore armor to bed? He must have laid down next to her and passed out from sheer exhaustion – just like she had.

"Are you going to look at me all night?"

Rosemary's skin flushed. Had he been awake the entire time? "I... I think it's morning now. Before dawn, anyway. S-Sorry... for looking."

Balint's golden eyes were open now, looking like smooth, warm honey. His smile was slight. "I don't mind. You know... we never talked about _it_ since you left."

"Oh. That." Rosemary sighed and decided he needed to know the truth. "I'm not angry anymore. When I was gone, I got to thinking from your perspective. So, yeah... I'm not angry anymore."

"No – but what are we going to do about this?"

Rosemary played innocent, frantically searching her mind for a way out of the conversation. "What do you mean?"

Balint pulled her close, and she let him. Unable to resist the pull, she pressed her mouth to his. She sighed as they finally kissed, and his tongue entered her mouth. She caressed his tongue with her own and gently stroked his fringe, teasing the grooves.

Balint pulled away and looked at her for a long minute. Why had he stopped? "Who was it?"

"Hm?"

"I'm not your first turian, Rosemary. Who was it?"

Rosemary squirmed, suddenly feeling guilty. "Um..."

"I want to know." He didn't sound angry.

"It... was Garrus. Garrus Vakarian." His old partner. She winced, preparing herself for an angry outburst... that didn't come. She chanced a look at him.

Balint's expression wasn't angry, but it was still... strangely aggressive. There was a glint in his eyes. "You're not... angry?"

"Oh, no," he was quick to assure her. "You were pretty wound up sexually before you left – you definitely needed the sex."

"Oh." Rosemary relaxed; Balint was being very understanding!

"But you're here now... with me. And I want you." His fingers were trailing along her spine, drifting lower.

His words heated Rosemary's blood, but something nagged at her. "Then why do you sound..."

"I have a rival," Balint said, a wicked grin on his face. "Garrus and I were always rivals – but it's been a while since we've competed."

 _Excuse me?!_ Rosemary was outraged. "Hold on! I am not some cheap prize!" She slapped Balint's hand away from her butt, which he had been about to caress.

Balint's hand went right back, and gently squeezed. Rosemary fought back a moan. She glared at Balint, showing her ire. "No, you're not a prize," he purred. ", your body is our arena, and I aim to win!"

She wanted to laugh at his arrogant, slow grin. "That's still not right!"

Balint silenced any further objections by running his hands over her cheeks, and squeezing. Involuntarily, she arched against him, pressing her breasts against his armor. She wore nothing under her nightshirt, and could feel the coolness of the metal chestpiece against her nipples. "Oh!"

That was all the invitation Balint needed. Like a deer caught in headlights, Rosemary could only stare in apprehensive awe as the turian got off the bed and took off his armor. He made quick work of the process and Rosemary almost forgot to breathe. He was broader in the shoulders than she had thought, and rather muscular... His hands were large, and his talons were long and sharp – for some reason, the sight of them aroused her. Her eyes went to his groin – where his erection had yet to emerge. She wanted to see it. Taking a chance and feeling bold, she slowly removed her shirt, baring herself to him completely.

For a few seconds, she became nervous by Balint's silence. Garrus had liked her body well enough, but she knew that not many turians would find her soft body appealing. Her tummy was flat, but there wasn't an ab in sight. Her butt was on the ample side, too, and her breasts... without a bra to restrict them, she imagined they must look huge. What was the word Rynak had used? 'Bulbous'?

Her reservations disappeared when she looked at Balint. His golden eyes gleamed with lust as his arousal arose from its opening, large and erect.

He drew her up from the bed to stand her up close to him and nuzzled her neck. He ran his teeth along and neck and smiled when she shivered in response. "You're so beautiful," he murmured. He seemed mesmerized by her curves as he ran his hands slowly along her body, exploring. His hands went down her back, pulling her butt closer to him. "You smell good. Rich... and warm..."

 _Oh!_ "It... It's this vanilla lotion I use," she stammered, suddenly shy. "And you... smell like coffee." There was a question in her voice.

He smiled. "What can I say? You made me an addict. Does the scent... appeal to you?"

Rosemary scoffed. "Do you know who you're talking to?"

He chuckled, the sound warming Rosemary's bones. Before she lost her nerve, she pressed her lips and tongue to his chest, exploring every ridge and groove – inching lower. Balint's breath hitched when soon, she was on her knees, teasing the hard, but soft ridges on his shaft with her hand – before lowering her mouth over the head. Balint moaned and ran his hand through the curls on her head as her lips slid up and down slowly, then back up again. She pumped the base of his organ while sliding her tongue through the grooves, planting gentle, but firm suction on the underside of his length. Balint growled with pleasure before reluctantly stopping her progress.

"Almost lost it there, love. Spirits, you know what you're doing. But... no. I've waited too long for this." He drew her up.

His hands cupped her breasts as he took a moment to admire them, his eyes liquid and heated. "Spirits, these look good." He pushed them up to his waiting mouth where he ran his rough tongue across her nipples before taking one in his mouth, sucking and teasing her with the slightest pressure of his teeth. He continued to lick and nibble her breasts as he grabbed and lifted her, completely unsupported. Aroused by the sheer show of strength, Rosemary wrapped her legs around his trim waist, and her arms around his neck. She gasped and held onto the ridges of his carapace as his hands, now free, joined his mouth in worshiping her sensitive breasts. She moaned as she felt his arousal pressing against her bottom. _God..._

She gasped as the head of his erection rubbed against her folds, finding her sex. With a growl, Balint took her hips in his hands and slowly lowered himself into her. Rosemary couldn't even feel his talons scratching her skin; she couldn't believe this was finally happening.

"Oh, you're tight," he snarled, raising her and lowering her back down onto him.

Rosemary moaned. He was going too slow... She was losing her mind at the friction of his ridged shaft rubbing against her core; her fingers scraped at his carapace. Finding a good grip, she raised herself up and _slammed_ herself down.

The turian cursed as Rosemary slowly increased her pace, gasping with every plunge. His eyes flashed green as she bounced; he grabbed her waist to pull her down on his sex even harder. Rosemary bit into his neck to stifle her screams and he lost his mind.

He drove himself up to meet her downward thrusts, pounding into her with enormous strength. Rosemary's skin glistened with sweat as her breasts freely bounced with every slam – Balint stared at them, enthralled.

Rosemary knew she wasn't going to last much longer, and by the wildness in Balint's eyes – he wasn't going to, either. His member throbbed as he mercilessly pounded into her; Rosemary's body quaked as he slammed her harder and deeper until he snarled, burying himself to the hilt in her sheath. She felt him erupt deep inside her, filling her completely. She trembled as he held her hips firm, pumping into her until he was completely spent. _Oh... sweet god of chocolate..._

Ten minutes later, Rosemary relaxed in Balint's arms, completely sated. They were both still naked, and given what they had just done, completely comfortable with that fact. "How... many times did you do it with Garrus," he asked, surprising her.

Rosemary's cheeks turned red. "That's rude to ask," she snapped. ", and it's not like I counted!"

She could feel him smile against her hair. "That many? … I have some work to do, then."

Rosemary panicked. "Oh, no, no, no! My cuts aren't completely healed – I..."

"You don't want to?"

"I..."

"Then shush."

 _Damn it!_

XOXOXOXO

Light shone through the window of Rosemary's room; it was officially morning. Time to get up. Only Rosemary didn't think she could move. They had gone at it for _hours_! _Damn turians and their freakish stamina_ , she mentally grumbled. She had lost count of how many rounds they'd gone. Granted, what had happened between Rosemary and Balint had been a long time in coming, but...

"You know, we have work to do."

Balint stirred. He drew her closer against his body. "I've been dreaming of having you for a long time," he murmured. ", and work can wait."

"I have Oliver and Keeya," she reminded him, trying to ignore the pleasure his closeness brought her.

The turian sighed. "Just... one more time?"

It was almost impossible to resist him, but she did. Anyway, she was pretty sore. "No," she said firmly. "Besides, look at me! I have cuts – everywhere!"

Balint smirked. "People are constantly trying to kill you," he pointed out. ", so you're banged up most of the time. No one will notice a few more scratches."

Rosemary glared. "Jerk."


	23. Ch 23

**CHAPTER 23**

She couldn't deny it: she felt alive again. She'd had little to no sleep at all, but she felt _amazing_. Also, nervous and fidgety. She was trying her hardest to not think about the emotional consequences of the sex marathon she'd just enjoyed. _Not going to think about it, not going to think about it..._

While her mind was invigorated, her body felt leaden and just... tired as hell. After adding an extra dose of espresso to her aromatic drink, she left for work.

"See you later, Ollie and Keeya!"

"Later, Rosie!"

"Later, Rossey!"

Tross and another guard followed her out the door. Tross yawned. "You know, you should think about getting a skycar of your own," he complained.

Rosemary shook her head. "Nonsense. I have too many calories in the morning, anyway. I need to walk it off."

"Humans and their complicated metabolisms," Tross grumbled.

The line to the Rapid Transit was long, so they walked around a few corners to another terminal. They were about to step into the shorter line when a voice greeted her from the shadows of a nearby building. "It's been some time, Rosemary."

Rosemary froze. She knew that voice. _Saeli...?!_

A tall, statuesque asari walked out from the shadows, a demon – who looked like her once-dear friend, Saeli T'Garu. She wore battle-scarred armor, of a deep purple hue, and no mask. She didn't need one, Rosemary thought bitterly. She was the head of the murderous beast called Divide; she had no need to hide. Not anymore, anyway. "We need to talk, Rosemary. Perhaps over breakfast?"

Rosemary glared at the asari. "NO. Say what you're going to say here."

Tross was already calling it in. The other guard had his gun trained on the former Justicar. Saeli ignored them both. All of her attention was focused on Rosemary. "Don't make me kill them, Rosemary."

Rosemary's blood ran cold. "Leave us," she ordered the guards.

"Will all due respect, Fletcher: you're not our boss," the other guard told her firmly.

"It's our job to protect you," Tross said grimly.

They were standing on one of the upper levels of the Presidium. She closed her eyes. She... had no choice. Without any warning, she bolted for the edge of the level and climbed over the railing.

"No," Tross shouted. The guards cursed as they ran after her.

Rosemary's eyes found Saeli's; the asari inclined her head slightly in understanding.

She jumped.

XOXOXOXO

Twenty minutes later, Saeli found Rosemary near the Presidium apartments, near where she had jumped. Rosemary was picking leaves out of her curls, muttering to herself. When she saw Saeli, her frown deepened. "You wanted to talk? Talk."

Saeli studied Rosemary, considering. "You've... changed."

"You gave me no choice," Rosemary said coldly, her eyes hard.

Saeli's expression softened then, if only a fraction. "I'm sorry, Rosemary. I wish things could have been different."

Her words boiled Rosemary's blood. It was taking all of her self control not to charge at the asari and rip her apart. Maybe in the back of her mind, she had thought she would hesitate, maybe fall apart at seeing Saeli T'Garu again. They had been good friends, once upon a time. But... no. She felt no pity, no regret. "You killed my father."

Saeli's expression grew hard again. "He's happier dead, Rosemary. We both know this."

Rosemary's blood _screamed_ in her veins; she wanted to rip into Saeli – tear out her heart! Her fists clenched as she fought for control. She was better than this. She was better than _Saeli_. Then she saw Saeli staring... at her eyes. Rosemary knew she was seeing the shifting colors of synthetic green and blood-raged red. She hoped Saeli knew how much Rosemary was working at not killing her.

"What do you want," Rosemary demanded.

Saeli blinked and shook her head. "Why are you doing this, Rosemary? Head Administrator of the hybrid development...? Forget how you got that position – you're barely educated! - I want to know why you insist on protecting them. They are abominations – they were never meant to be." Saeli's voice was cold.

Rosemary knew she was the head of Divide, but hearing the words coming straight from her mouth still sent a wave of shock through her. Had she never known Saeli? "They are children!"

"They are _mistakes_ ," Saeli hissed, her eyes gleaming with a greenish tint. "Thessia will never be the same – my daughters are never coming back! The... synthesization disgraces their memory! These... creatures are destroying the pure legacies! If we let them exist, there will be _nothing_ of the old ways left!"

Something slowly turned... and then clicked in Rosemary's mind. Her anger abated as realization set in – as she finally understood what Divide was about. "You're... afraid of change." She couldn't hide the wonder – no, the incredulousness – from her voice. "What you're saying doesn't make any sense. It's all... smoke. A distraction. You're just... afraid of change. The hybrids are innocent – natural evolutions..."

"There is _nothing_ natural about it," Saeli hissed furiously.

Rosemary inclined her head a little, conceding the asari's point. Emma Shepard had facilitated synthesization – but that didn't change the crux of what she was saying. "The synthesization didn't bring everlasting peace, but it _did_ bring peace to so many people, so many worlds... Your daughters died in the War – and you have no outlet for your anger, your hate – "

"Silence!"

Rosemary's eyes narrowed. This was so stupid! Everything was just – stupid! "I won't have it. You think I don't want to tear you to pieces for killing my father?!"

"Oh, be quiet, child," Saeli snapped. "He was already dead!"

"I lost a father! _OLIVER_ lost a father!"

Saeli flinched.

Rosemary thought of the little girl at home – who had seen her own mother die. " _Keeya_ lost her mother! Divide is nothing more than a vile pit of monsters!"

Steel returned to Saeli's eyes. "An abomination lost the disgusting creature that whelped her. What do I care?"

"Rosemary!"

Balint approached, shotgun drawn. When he got to her, he extended his hand. Rosemary instinctively allowed him to pull her back against him.

Saeli studied them dispassionately. "So... it finally happened. Was it everything you thought it would be," Saeli asked them, her tone turning nasty. Her eyes flashed. "Don't think I will not hesitate to kill whatever comes from your union. We may have been friends – but that leniency will _not_ extend to any twisted creation of yours."

Balint surprised them both by blasting off a shot at Saeli's head. Saeli's shields shattered. Out of the corner of her eye, Rosemary saw a skycar suddenly swerve in their direction.

Quickly recovering, Saeli flipped out of harm's way, running and gracefully leaping over the railing and onto the top of the skycar. She looked back at Rosemary; even from where she was standing, Rosemary could see the hate blazing from her eyes. "This isn't over, Rosemary!" She looked at the turian, her jaw set. "Until next time, Balint!"

They watched the skycar jet away. Once it was gone from their sight, Balint lit into her. "What were you thinking, Rose?!" He was _furious_ with her.

Rosemary didn't hear him. Something _just_ occurred to her. "Wait... I just... We didn't use protection! At all!"

Balint rolled his eyes and sighed, putting away his shotgun. "You just realized that now?"

 _Monkey shit!_ How had she gotten so carried away?! She'd been so careful with Garrus, and he'd never... "You... inside me! And humans are... allergic... allergic to... to...," she trailed off, not wanting to use the word.

"Turian fluids," Balint supplied, grinning.

"And you... in me... several times! Oh, _Reapers_ ," she wailed hysterically. ", am I about to die?! Wouldn't I feel it if something happens? Am I about to go into shock?"

Balint shook his head, amused. "It would have happened by now, if you were. I just find it... kind of hilarious that this just occurred to you, _now._ "

"Oh, shut up," Rosemary snapped. She grabbed at her curls, going into full panic. "We were both super irresponsible – !"

"Yes, we were," he agreed. "We should have had sex sooner – maybe we wouldn't have been so out of control."

Was he serious?! She looked at his face. He wasn't. She groaned. This wasn't a time to joke around! "Shut uuup, Balint!"

"Oh, by the way – humans are no longer allergic to turian sperm."

Rosemary froze for the second time that morning. "... What?"

"It's a recent discovery," Balint told her, taking great pleasure in her shocked expression. "You weren't the only who forgot about the allergy while in the throes of amazing sex," he drawled.

Rosemary blushed, waving away that arrogant statement. "What do you mean by that."

"I looked over the list of families and hybrids coming in to live at the development. There are a few turian-human infants in the mix."

Another kind of panic took over. "But that means... We could have a … I'm not ready!"

Balint grinned. "Neither am I. You don't have to worry – I took a shot for protection."

Rosemary just stared. "What... when?"

"A few days after you got back."

Panic had left her body, leaving her weak. Hearing that, however, got her angry again. "WHAT?! You expected...?! You _planned_ it?!"

Balint chuckled. "Not exactly – but it's always good to be prepared."

"Wipe that smug-ass look from your bird-face," she growled.

He just laughed at her.

XOXOXOXO

After a lengthy lecture from the turian, human, and asari councilors – respectively – she had to suffer through similar scoldings from Tross, and all the other guards – all thirteen of them. After apologizing profusely to the C-Sec officers, she went to her room, wallowed in guilt for about an hour – then put all the planning she'd done the previous night into work.

Naturally, she was several hours late to work at the Citadel Security precinct, but she wasted no time, and worked at her terminal. She put out an ad, seeking clerical help. Veracia raged and ranted as she started work on the reports, furious that she went over his head. She understood his anger, and felt a little ashamed of herself because of it, and so while he seethed, she hid behind stacks of paperwork – unable to look him in the face. Once he left, Nuni leaned over from her desk to talk with her friend in angry little whispers.

Nuni was angry that she had ditched her guards but once she got over it, the quarian sympathized with her. "I can't believe your friend – "

"Ex-friend."

"Right, your ex-friend is the head of an evil organization. I can't believe I hung out with her – she didn't seem evil. You know I admired her? She was so worldly... and sophisticated."

Rosemary wasn't angry at Nuni for chatting about the sensitive subject. She knew Nuni wasn't being duplicitous – she was just curious, and very honest and open about her curiosity. Coming from Nuni, it was rather refreshing to hear it all being aired out.

"I still think it's weird, though – Divide being a gang."

"Is that all it is, though," Rosemary wondered aloud. "Are they terrorists or just... gangsters?"

Nuni thought about it. "I only met her that one time, but she didn't strike me as the gang type. Nothing so crude. You know?"

"Yeah..."

"And from what you told me, her hate runs deep... For all we know, the Divide gang is just the profitable branch of their... organization. Even terrorists need credits."

What Nuni said made sense. "You... are very perceptive," Rosemary complimented Nuni.

"I am," Nuni agreed. "So... besides your encounter with the evil Saeli... anything new? You were out for a few days."

Rosemary hesitated. She hadn't told Imitha yet about Balint – and she wasn't sure she wanted to. She had been pretty merciless about teasing her about Garrus. And Nuni wasn't related to Balint. "I... finally had sex with Balint."

"REALLY," Nuni squealed – loudly. When everyone turned to look, she ducked her head and squealed again – in a quieter pitch. "How was he?!"

Rosemary smiled, her cheeks flushed. "... Amazing."

"I need details! My stimulation unit's not doing the job as well these days."

"... Ew."

"Details!"

Rosemary's face warmed, thinking about that morning. Had it only been this morning? "It really was... amazing. He's so... strong."

Nuni giggled. "You sound like you're in love," she teased.

Rosemary's eyes widened. "N-No," she stammered. "In lust, yes. But love... I..."

Her friend understood. "Too soon to tell?"

"Yes." She had to be honest with herself. Rosemary hadn't spent enough time with Balint to really know him. They hadn't exactly spent all morning talking. _Sigh._


	24. Ch 24

**CHAPTER 24**

The next day, after her shifts as Citadel Security and at Wakey Brews, Rosemary finally took a skycar to the Crucible, to take a tour of the hybrid development.

She was floored by what she realized – the plans she'd seen hadn't mentioned it – that the development took almost three quarters of an entire level of the Crucible. She had noticed it when picnicking at Shepard Park, but there was something in the Crucible's air currents that seemed to just... inspire green to grow and flourish. The development was comprised of a great many low, spacious buildings, surrounded by gently flowering trees and lush grasses.

Balint had assigned Tross and two other guards to her expedition this evening. Rosemary had been half afraid that he would have guarded her himself today – broadcasting their new intimacy to the world (okay, maybe that was a slight exaggeration) – but... Had he maybe sensed that she needed some space after the morning they'd had? A darker thought invaded her mind – or was he done with her now that they'd finally had sex? _Oh, what a disquieting thought_ , she mentally grumbled to herself.

She forced herself to focus on the matter at hand. Upon her arrival, she'd been greeted by the Assistant Administrator of the development, a quarian who had introduced himself as Meeno'Reegar vas Rannoch. He was to be her right-hand man, er, quarian, and unlike her, had a few degrees, and seemed well-versed in the subject of security measures and building structures. With him as her guide, she inspected the buildings. From the outside – many of them looked like apartment complexes – but inside, they were more like... dormitories. The rooms were tiny, and many of had four cribs to a room. There were also communal restrooms and cafeterias, and closets stuffed with diapers and infant-to-toddler sanitary products. Rosemary wondered at that. So far, Meeno didn't seem to hold her lack of a proper college education against her, so she questioned him about the peculiar layout.

"Why is this set of buildings modeled after dormitories," she asked him, attempting to adopt an aloof, of-course-I-know-what-I'm-talking-about-you-fool tone.

She knew it worked when his answer was given in an impressed, respectful voice. "The ages of the children coming in range anywhere from a month to two and a half years old. The dormitory-style buildings are for the orphans. Many of them have parents or guardians who died protecting them from purist aggressors, such as Divide."

From the files Eastment had sent her, she knew there were a few thousand children Divide had orphaned. Her hate for Saeli and her demonic followers set her blood to boiling. Masking her anger with an indifferent expression, she pulled up several files on her omni-tool. "So... we're talking toddlers and infants?" Abandoning the pretentious tone she'd oh-so-briefly adopted, she decided to focus solely on the business in front of her. This was not the time nor place for snooty antics.

"Yes. A good portion of the funds provided them will be used to hire people trained in the care of young children," Meeno informed her. "When they grow older, they will be transferred to other sections of the development, which are less dormitory, more apartments. But for now, dormitories will suit best – be more manageable for the people that will watch them."

Rosemary could see the reason in that. But... "I can... understand why you would want people with official training, but won't that get... expensive?"

Meeno led her to his office. After her guards inspected his desk and walls – to the background noise of Meeno's annoyed-sounding sighs – Rosemary sat across from the quarian, still studying the files glowing from her omni-tool. The costs were going to be astronomical! There had to be a better solution!

"Yes... but that cannot be helped," Meeno told her.

A thought occurred to Rosemary. "What if you have... in those positions of authority, those people with training – but for, well, 'grunt work' – "

"Grunt work?"

"You know – changing diapers, burping, bathing, babysitting – general infant/toddler maintenance. What if you hired volunteers and people suited for those particular jobs?"

Meeno frowned, still not catching on. "Please elaborate."

"You know – people with experience in the business. Older siblings, mothers, fathers, doting grandparent-types... Draw from the families of the hybrids. They're displaced – ripped from their homes. Giving them jobs around the development – such as helping with the children – will give them a sense of normalcy and pride in their lives."

Meeno straightened, her excitement catching. "Not only that – if we do this, the development will be more self-sufficient. It'll be less of a fancy refugee camp and more..."

"... like a community."

"It's brilliant." She couldn't see his face, but his voice sounded impressed. She blushed, embarrassed. She couldn't really call it brilliant – she was just borrowing an idea that she had seen work firsthand.

When the turians from the damaged Citadel and turian fleet had taken refuge in a corner of Pennsylvania – their designated area had started out as a refugee camp. Then, as they settled in, the turians in charge began politely declining the American government's help in favor of discovering, on their own, how they could become self-sufficient, and less of a drain on the host government's resources. Little Palaven had been born, and had flourished – largely through the efforts of the turians who called it home.

Something else occurred to her. "Wait... please tell me these people were already all hired?"

Meeno shook his head. "Only half. We won't need to hire the rest. I'll send a message to the ships carrying the hybrids and their families. I'll make sure that when they dock – that they have lives ready for them." He sighed.

"Are... you upset with me?"

"No, no... it's a brilliant idea – I was just wondering why we didn't think of it before."

Rosemary grunted, a most unladylike sound, and said before she could think about what she was saying, "You were thinking with those fancy degrees of yours, that's why."

Meeno laughed. Relieved, Rosemary accepted the file transfer from the quarian and perused its contents. Almost half an hour later, she showed her notes to Meeno. "I think we should assign certain buildings to the different types of hybrids. Like the stronger structures to the krogan hybrids, the structures along the biotic wall that'll be built up to the asari, biotic-strong hybrids..."

"If their energies build up too much, they could just siphon off that energy to the wall," Meeno realized, admiring the notes she'd added to a copy of the development's schematics. "I'll have our team on it right away."

Rosemary blinked. "We have a team?"

Meeno chuckled. "This is an incredibly huge project, Miss Fletcher. You didn't think we would be the only two running it."

She kinda had thought that – and felt really silly for it. This was all incredibly new to her. She was in charge of a clerical unit at Citadel Security – but it hadn't even been formed yet. And she only had experienced managing all of one little coffee shop... Speaking of coffee... She checked her omni-tool. "Shit. I'm late for my shift."

"At C-Sec?"

"No, Wakey Brews. New coffee shop." Rosemary gathered up her things and turned off her omni-tool.

"What's... coffee?"

Rosemary smiled back at Meeno as she hurried out of his office. "You should visit sometime. Wakey Brews – look us up in the Presidium! Bye!"

Her guards looked relieved that she was done. They escorted her to Rapid Transit. Rosemary was pleased when not three minutes later, a skycar dropped to hover in front of her. Tross was looking at a message on his omni-tool. He signaled to the other guards, and they let her board the skycar, alone. Seconds later, she discovered why; Balint was the driver.

Balint didn't give her time to get nervous. As soon as she had strapped herself in, he handed her a box full of still-hot chocolate croissants. Rosemary's mouth started to drool as she grabbed one.

"Two chocolate croissants, fresh from Imitha's oven."

Rosemary bit into one and moaned. "Sooo good." Her flimsy excuse of self-control had her offering the second one to Balint. _Less calories to walk off_ , she tried to console her stomach. "Try one? You're not allergic to human food anymore, right?"

Balint smiled. "Still not my kind of food, tastebud-wise. Old habits die hard. And I already ate. Enjoy."

And she did – she savored every warm, buttery, chocolate-y, bite of flaky goodness as she sat next to Balint. As she ate, Balint didn't say anything, letting her enjoy the moment in amicable silence. When she was done, Rosemary licked some chocolate off of her thumb as she looked out of the window. They were flying over the Presidium lakes, with silver and gold flecks of light reflecting the artificial sunlight into Rosemary's eyes. Artificial light or not, it was still a lovely view.

Suddenly, Balint stiffened and looked at the controls of the skycar, his eyes searching. He started feeling under the board.

"Hm."

"Hm, what," Rosemary asked, suddenly very nervous.

"There's a bomb under the controls."

 _A what?!_ "How did...?"

Balint tapped his visor. "Heard it activate."

She remembered the Kuwashii visor's new auditory function all too well. She cursed, startling Balint. "Ah, damn it! And I was having a pretty good day!"

Balint grinned and continued to feel under the control board. "I recognize this one. It'll go off if we stop."

He could recognize the type of bomb by touch and sound? Rosemary was impressed; Balint was good. "What do we do?" Balint inputted a new course into the skycar's computer. Rosemary leaned over to look. "Why are you telling the skycar to run into the water?"

"Minimal collateral damage. We'll be jumping off before it hits, of course."

Rosemary's mind sputtered. "Did you say 'jump'?!"

"When I open the doors – jump."

"What?!"

"Now!"

Her door opened and Rosemary closed her eyes as she jumped. She opened her eyes and screamed – the surface of the lake was coming up too, too, too fast! The skycar exploded above them. Rosemary flinched as fire and debris rained all around them. Then she gasped as her body plunged into the water – _SHIT, that hurt!_

Her skin burning from the impact, she kicked, fighting to reach air. Seconds later, she was being pulled to the edge of the Presidium lake by Balint.

Once she could see straight, she pushed the turian away. "I can swim by myself," she said crossly. He needed to concentrate on himself – he was the one wearing armor! "Look at me," she insisted as he tried to grab her, gesturing at her boobs. "I'm remarkably buoyant!"

Balint laughed. They swam to the edge separately, but Balint helped her up and over the side.

Rosemary gathered up her hair and began squeezing the water out. "Why aren't I hysterical," she asked herself more than Balint. "I should be upset." She was confused at how calm she was feeling.

"That just means you're used to people trying to kill you," Balint informed her with a grin.

Rosemary sighed. "Damn it. And to think, a few months ago, I was an innocent, unassuming little civilian."

"Yeah..." Balint didn't sound the least bit sympathetic. "That's over now."

Rosemary sighed again. "Thanks for the memo."

XOXOXOXO

Warning: Lemon ahead!


	25. Ch 25

Warning: Lemon Ahead!

Lemon

Lemon

Alien Lemon

 **CHAPTER 25**

There was something about near-death experiences that ignited one's libido – or it did, anyway, to Rosemary and Balint's. Ten minutes after they reached the townhouse, Balint joined her in the shower, his eyes gleaming with purpose.

Rosemary met his passion with equal fervor, wrapping her arms around him as they kissed in feverish desperation. Hot water pelted on them like bullets; there was no time or need to stoke each other's heat when their bodies were already on fire.

The turian turned her around and bent her towards the wall of the shower. He lined his sex up with her slick crevice and slammed it home. He caressed her wet head of curls as he pulled his length almost all the way out. She whimpered, on the verge of begging, as he released her hair. She bit her lip, holding back a scream as he rammed into her, grabbing her shoulder with one hand, and her hip with the other – his talons digging into her skin.

"Please," she begged, gasping.

He pounded into her hard, the ridges of his length scraping her core with its delicious friction. She'd been sore from before, but _god_ , it still felt so good! Even his talons scratching her flesh felt good – somehow adding intensity to her pleasure. She hadn't known she liked it rough. Balint hammered into her good and hard – making it impossible not to scream – _Damn him!_

As if sensing the problem, Balint pulled out of her and spun her towards him. She clung to him, trying not to slip on the tiles. He grabbed her ass and lifted her up; understanding, she wrapped her legs around him. He lifted her up a little, his erection finding its home in her sheath as she fell back down on his sex. "Bite down on me if you need to scream," he hissed through his teeth.

He bounced her on his staff hard and rough; her nails dug into his carapace, her legs locked together behind his back. Balint growled and Rosemary gasped as an orgasm began to build and she started losing strength in her legs. He pinned her hard against the tile wall, driving into her harder and harder until she bit down on his neck to muffle her screams. The flash of pain and the quiver of her breasts against his chest sent him over the edge; he blasted into her, holding her down on his rod. Rosemary clenched around his length, milking it for every drop.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, catching their breath. When he lowered her back onto the floor, she could barely stand. She stumbled out of the stall. Before she could fully recover and even start breathing normally again, Balint pulled her back into the shower.

Rosemary couldn't believe it. "Are you trying to kill me?" She struggled to find a reason for him to stop. "The scratches – people will see..."

"You just jumped out of an exploding skycar," Balint pointed out with a grin. "Scratches are a hazard for that sort of thing."

She could see his point, but still. "But..."

"Just once more," he purred, running his hand along her spine.

Rosemary hesitated; her body was going to hate her. But she was addicted... "You promise?"

"I promise."

He kept his word, and let her go after another fantastic, and slightly painful, round of sex. Just because they weren't going to go for a third round, however, did not mean he was going to let her stop thinking about it. Afterwards, he teased and played with her body to distraction until she was ready to beg for another round – then wickedly reminded her that her brother was coming home soon.

"You are evil," she groaned.

He grinned, not denying it – completely unrepentant.

Rosemary sighed and grabbed a couple tubes of medi-gel from the medicine cabinet.

XOXOXOXO

Knowing that all the townhouse's guards knew of her and Balint's activities by now, she studiously avoided their gazes – even when insisting on picking up her brother from school.

"I'm his sister," she said, running coconut oil through her damp curls in the kitchen. She didn't look at Rynak as she told him what she was going to do. "I have _never_ picked him up from his Citadel school – and I _will_ have _some_ normalcy in my life!"

The turian guard sighed. "You don't have a normal life anymore, Fletcher. You _just_ jumped out of an exploding skycar!"

"That was an hour or two ago," she countered, gathering up her hair and tying it in a loose bun. "And people trying to kill me is becoming way too normal. Can't I go a week without a bomb going off, someone trying to shoot my head off... What's next? Poison?"

"All of the food going in and out of the household is put through a multitude of tests," he assured her, very seriously. "They haven't tried to poison you... yet."

Rosemary grumbled and left the house with Keeya, Rynak, and two other guards. Since their... meeting in her shower, she hadn't seen him. Probably calibrating something. No, that was Garrus' thing, she chuckled to herself.

Keeya was thrilled to finally be spending some time with Rosemary, but complained when Rosemary had her wear her quarian-style enviro-suit.

"You know... quarians don't get their first suit until they're a little older than two," Rynak pointed out, lifting Keeya into their skycar once the other guards had finished their inspection of the vehicle. Rosemary doubted Divide would try another car bomb – but it was better to be safe than sorry, she supposed.

She shrugged in response to Rynak's comment. "I didn't know that. I bet a lot of people don't know that. Did you know that," she asked one of the other guards. He sheepishly shook his head. "See? Ignorance can be a very useful tool, Rynak."

Rynak wouldn't let up with his criticism. "And what about other quarians?"

She shrugged again. "Meh."

One of the guards snorted at that. Keeya could barely sit still in her seat as the skycar took off. "I'm so 'sited about the depo-ment! I won't have to wear a suit, a big hat, or big jackets with stupid big hoods!"

"Language," Rosemary scolded the toddler. "And it's 'development', not 'depo-ment'"

"Too long word," Keeya decided. "Give it 'nother name."

Rosemary thought about it. Did she even have the authority to name the project? _Eh, why not?_ It wouldn't hurt to try. "Well, Sanctuary's out," she muttered, thinking of the horrible legacy of Cerberus. Years later, people still talked about the former death camp in hushed voices, and of the horrors that had gone on behind its shiny white walls.

Rynak's eyes went dark at the mention of Sanctuary. "Indeed."

"Citadel Refuge?"

"No," Keeya said simply.

"Haven?"

"No, no."

"Hideaway Park," Rosemary offered, running out of ideas.

Keeya looked at Rosemary as if she was looking at a crazy person. "You are bad at this!"

The guards agreed. Rosemary glared at all of them, slightly offended. "Well, what would _you_ name it?"

"Blue Cookies."

Rynak started coughing. Rosemary grinned. "Blue... Cookies?"

"Blue is Ollie's favorite color, and cookies are yummy," Keeya explained slowly, as if talking to a particularly slow individual.

Rosemary frowned, as if deep in thought. "Yes, of course. How stupid of me. But perhaps something... un-sweet related?"

Keeya bit her lip. "Sparky Castle?"

All three guards started shaking, trying in vain to hold back their merriment. Rosemary didn't know what to say. "Um..."

"Wobbly Toes? Stinky Park. Placemats?"

This is what she got asking a toddler a serious question, Rosemary thought with amusement. Rynak's head was in his hands as his shoulders shook with silent laughter. "Those are very nice names, Keeya, but, um..."

"The Bridge?"

Rosemary cocked her head. That... sounded normal. "That's... not bad."

Keeya studied her knees, hiding her gaze. "Ollie says trolls live under bridges."

 _Ah._ "You like trolls," a guard asked.

Keeya shrugged, very much in the same way Rosemary did it. "Would like some. Could... scare away the bad people."

Rosemary and the guards turned somber. She put her arm around the child, holding her close. "That's a very good idea, Keeya. How about... Bridgeville? Bridgeforth? Bridgeton."

Keeya looked up and smiled shyly at Rosemary. "The last one. It's easy to say."

Rosemary squeezed Keeya's hand affectionately. "Bridgeton it is, then."

XOXOXOXO

Oliver's school was located in a district of the Wards that was more residential than what Rosemary had expected. Having viewed the brochure and filled out Oliver's forms, Rosemary knew that Mannovai Elementary was one of the best schools on the Citadel, specializing in science and technology programs. From what the guards had been relaying to her, Oliver was still mostly a loner – but he spoke easily with his peers, and didn't actively seek isolation. Keeya was still his best friend – which was a comfort to Rosemary – but she wished he had friends his own age, too.

Rosemary sent off a message to Meeno, informing him of the development's new name as the school's door slid open at her approach. A salarian secretary immediately inquired as to her name and purpose – another thing that eased Rosemary's worry.

The secretary, however, frowned at Rosemary. "You are Rosemary Fletcher, sister to Oliver Fletcher – do I have that right?"

"Yes...?"

"May I see some identification?"

Rosemary brought it up on her omni-tool and showed it to the secretary for her inspection. The salarian pursed her lips in a distinctively disapproving fashion. "I apologize for needing confirmation, Miss Fletcher. When your brother was enrolled – you opted to send in his forms instead of coming here in person. No one here has ever seen you."

Mortified, Rosemary shook her head. "I know, but – I'm in a kind of difficult situation – "

"Yes, your life is in constant danger – I heard. That does not excuse your exclusion from your brother's life," the salarian scolded Rosemary, her voice hard and judgmental. "You are his only family. Some interest in his life would be appreciated by him, and by the people that raise him."

Feeling a sickly combination of rage and heart-ripping guilt, Rosemary didn't know what to say. Rynak, however, was furious.

"You don't know her – and you have no right to..."

"Judge her? Oh, I think I do. I may only be a secretary, Mr. Big-Shot-C-Sec, but I pay attention. Who helps him with his work at home? Who signs his progress reports? Not her, I know that much!"

"You can't talk to Rossey that way," Keeya erupted, looking very angry.

The salarian stared down at her in surprise. "A quarian? Who are you to Miss Fletcher," she demanded after recovering.

"I am Ollie's sister, and Rossey is my mommy-sister!"

Rosemary coughed and touched Keeya's shoulder. "That's enough, now," she said nervously, hoping the little hybrid wouldn't lose her temper.

"Rossey is busy helping people – and you. You're a big meanie," Keeya shouted, her eyes glowing purple. "I'm going to HURT you!" She roared the last two words. The salarian backed up her chair, looking frightened. Rosemary didn't blame her; Keeya had just sounded like a very angry, very violent krogan just then.

 _Oh, crap._ Rosemary grabbed Keeya as she tried to climb up the salarian's desk. The guards rushed to help. "No, Keeya! Keeya, stop!" _This damn krogan blood-rage!_

Oliver appeared then to help Rosemary hold back Keeya. Rosemary may have had krogan strength, but so did Keeya – and her krogan was three times stronger. "Keeya! Calm down," Oliver ordered, trying not to look panicked. "KEEYA!"

Rosemary and Oliver pried Keeya's little hands off of the desk she'd been clawing; the salarian was standing up now, and about to press what could only be a security button. "That won't be necessary," Rynak informed the secretary, annoyed.

Rosemary held Keeya in arms and a pressed a kiss against her helmet. "Shh, it'll be alright... You can calm down now, Keeya."

It took a long ten minutes, but eventually Keeya calmed down. Her burst of anger had exhausted her; she rested her head of Rynak's shoulder when he picked her up. The secretary, visibly shaken, avoided their gazes as Rosemary took Oliver's hand.

"Will I be able to come back tomorrow," Oliver wanted to know, a sigh in his voice.

"No one was hurt," Rynak assured Oliver.

"And Balint wouldn't let that happen," one of the other guards added.

Rosemary smiled. _He wouldn't, would he_ – she thought warmly.

To calm all their nerves and to cheer up the children, Rosemary decided they needed to visit Goggles, a toy store in the Presidium Commons. Their moods completely uplifted, Oliver ran straight to the back of the store where Normany merchandise was being advertised. Keeya made a beeline for the plush animals, and fell instantly in love with a giant cutesy version of a Prejek Paddle Fish.

After they purchased the plush fish, Rosemary and Keeya went to rejoin Oliver at the back of the store. Oliver was sifting through a barrel of Normandy action figures, his face set with intense determination.

"Who are you looking for, Ollie," Rosemary asked.

"CARD."

Rosemary's eyebrows shot up. "I don't think they'll have him yet, sweetheart. He doesn't even have a body."

"He got one last month," Oliver corrected her. "He's really excited about it. They just came out with his action figure yesterday. I promised him I'd get one."

Oliver's generation was extremely obsessed with the Normandy and its crew. CARD's program hadn't existed until after the War, and he still got an action figure! _Go, CARD._

"A-Ha! Got him!"

Rosemary took the action figure from her brother and examined with surprise. It was a miniature version of a toddler-like robotic body. She had to admit – it was kind of adorable, in its own metallic way. "I can't believe they made it..."

"And why not," Oliver huffed, offended on behalf of his friend. "He may not have been in the War, but he's an integral part of the Normandy systems, and his mother and father are heroes!"

Rosemary grinned. "I know, I know..."

Oliver relaxed as she tousled his hair. "I can't wait to see him in his new body! When will we see them again?"

Rosemary sighed. "I don't know, sweetheart. I miss the Normandy, too."

Keeya ran up with yet another giant plushy – of a varren. She didn't know how the makers had done it, but they had managed to make the feral, ferocious beast... look kind of cute. Still stinging from the secretary's tirade, Rosemary purchased the second plushy and handed it to Rynak.

"This isn't in my job description," Rynak grumbled, feeling and looking quite ridiculous.

Rosemary chuckled and checked her omni-tool. Meeno was calling.

"Yes? Fletcher here."

"Just wanted to tell you I like the name you chose – and yes, it was your job to choose it. Everyone here was getting tired of calling it 'the development'. Oh, and please get here as soon as you can."

Rosemary could hear the strain in the quarian's voice. "Why...?"

"The ships are coming in."

Rosemary blinked. "Ships?"

"The ones bringing in the hybrids? Three of them have already docked."

"Oh." ,,, _Oh! … Oh, no..._ Rosemary grimaced. She was never going to get to go to sleep, was she?


	26. Ch 26

**CHAPTER 26**

Balint picked them all up outside of Goggles – in a non-loading zone. She didn't question the legality of his parking – they had more important things to stress about. She frowned when Oliver and Keeya leaned on the two giant plush animals, heavy-lidded and yawning. "Shouldn't we drop the kids off at home, first," she asked Balint.

Balint shook his head from the driver's seat. "They can sleep there. It's a disaster, Rose."

Rosemary winced. "How bad?"

"The buildings are there, but the ships were due in _two weeks_. They're not prepared. Only half of the people you need were hired. All available C-Sec officers are pulling overtime and heading to Bridgeton to help – and you'll need _all_ the help you can get. … Nice name, by the way."

"I thought so, too," Oliver chimed in sleepily.

Rosemary bit her lip, thinking. She was already running on fumes and caffeine. _This isn't good._

When they got to the development – Bridgeton – Meeno was waiting for them at the gate. He was pacing in a very frantic manner. When he saw her, he all but went limp with relief.

Rosemary was already being intimidated by the magnitude of all that needed to be done – but Meeno was a _mess_.

"What's wrong, Meeno," Rosemary asked, jumping down from the skycar.

Meeno ran to her. "It's a disaster! I don't know what to do," he wailed.

Rosemary couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was a far picture from the composed, educated quarian she'd met earlier that day. He was a nervous, hand-wringing mess! "But – you have training... degrees! You must have been prepared for this." His nervousness didn't make sense...

"I don't have experience," Meeno blurted out.

Rosemary could feel Balint and the other guards' frowns from behind her. "What do you mean by 'no experience'," Balint demanded, his voice harsh. "You wouldn't have been hired without experience."

From inside his mask, Meeno sounded like he was wincing as he explained, "I lied! So I lied on my resume! Who doesn't do that?"

Rosemary couldn't quite recall the details of his resume – but she remembered one thing. "You have degrees! You have a few of them!"

Meeno's shoulders slumped. "... and they're all from the extranet."

" _What?!_ "

"Yes, they're all legitimate... but I got all of them in the span of a year... and maybe I had some friends who helped me with the work..."

Rosemary covered her eyes with a hand. _This isn't happening..._ "... Why, Meeno?"

"What? Did you think I went on my Pilgrimage and did the whole college experience? No!" Meeno was starting to sound defensive.

Rosemary had... never thought about that. The quarians hadn't been on Rannoch long – and they were just now getting an embassy... But Eastment should have noticed. Had he been blinded by the degrees themselves and hadn't seen beyond them – maybe looked into the colleges behind the degrees? Seen that they had all been extranet colleges? Granted, they had been pinched on time from the get-go – but still...

This wasn't fair. She was supposed to be the experienced one. Meeno was freaking out – and where was everyone else? "And the other staff?"

"Oh, they're more... legitimate."

Something was off. "And... where are they?"

Meeno sounded like he was wincing again. "They... decided to celebrate the naming of 'Bridgeton'. We've been working nonstop for months, you see... and they needed to unwind. I was finishing up some work and was going to join them, so..."

"So, they're... drunk as shit?"

"... Yeah."

"Crap."

"Yeah."

For some reason, Rosemary didn't feel so... frazzled now. Maybe it was because she didn't feel so intimidated anymore. She wasn't just the inexperienced, under-educated figurehead she thought she'd be... Experience-wise, she was the lowest rung on the ladder – but she was all they had! She was literally, their last resort! It wasn't like she could make things worse! The thought cheered her up immensely – and completely washed away the panic she'd been feeling.

Suddenly, she knew exactly what needed to be done.

"Who do we have?"

Meeno checked his omni-tool. "Well, it's you, me... your C-Sec people... and that's it."

"Perfect!"

"Perfect?" Meeno tapped his omni-tool. "My translator must be glitching, because that is _not_ the word I'd be using," he grumbled.

XOXOXOXO

After reporting to Veracia, Balint rejoined Meeno outside of the office Rosemary had shut herself in. "How long has she been in there now?"

"She's been in my office for ten minutes," Meeno told him, looking worried. "She's not... She's going to help us, right?"

Balint didn't think that ridiculous question needed answering. Instead, he asked, "Your office? Doesn't she have one of her own?"

The quarian shrugged. "Not until after her trial period – and if she takes the job."

"Ah. Did she say what she was going to do in there?"

"Not a clue. I just hope she hurries," Meeno fretted.

The turian stared at the quarian. "You act like she'll be the one doing all the work. Aren't you going to help?"

"... Pass?"

Balint all but growled at the quarian. "You cannot be serious."

"I told you," Meeno said weakly. ", I'm just your regular, average fraud."

"Get over yourself," Balint snapped. "There's work that needs doing, and you're going to help. Even frauds have their uses."

Rosemary opened the door to the turian snarling at Meeno. Meeno huffed and crossed his arms. She shook her head. _Whatever._ She already had her omni-tool up and ready. "The three buildings closest to the gates," she said to Meeno.

"Yeah?"

"We're using them for processing. Hybrids with families, the ones without, and the help." Rosemary brought up the notes she'd typed up. "The hybrids with families – confirm their identities – flag anyone with childcare experience – send them to the third building. I sent the file to you, Meeno. What are you waiting for? Bring it up!"

Meeno rushed to comply. Balint nodded. "And C-Sec?"

"Have the bulk of them doing quick background checks. For everyone else – check identities, register them, and send them to the appropriate buildings. Get the cafeterias going, the building managers situated..."

Meeno shook his head. "We can't – they're asleep. It's not even dawn."

Rosemary and Balint _stared_. "Then wake them up," Rosemary bit ruthlessly.

"O-Of course!"

Rosemary shook her head. "Balint – please manage the background checks. I don't want anyone who can be an agent of Divide getting in through all this chaos." That was her biggest worry.

Balint nodded and started tapping at his omni-tool, sending out messages. "You know," he said, while he worked. "You're not doing half bad."

Rosemary smiled, grateful for the compliment. "I just learned from the best."

He had been half-listening. "Sorry?"

She just waved it off. The truth was, she'd been watching Balint for a while. Well, not just for the physical, sexy reasons – but for the many things he'd taken responsibility for. Not only did he manage a whole security team, but he was regularly consulted by Captain Veracia and the Councilors. And he still managed to help Oliver with his homework every night. _And_ he'd been the one to help her organize all this. He... was an impressive person. She wasn't about to tell him that, though. He had a big enough bird-head, she thought, grinning to herself. "I'm going to need your help, Balint – to bring a little order to all this chaos."

Balint squeezed her shoulder. "You can do this, Rose."

"I have to," she agreed solemnly.

XOXOXOXO

Rosemary continued working for hours, assisting everyone all over the development – going wherever she was needed most. She did everything from changing diapers to checking identifications to reporting her progress to the Council. She had gone nearly forty hours without rest, and when she had been just about to collapse from exhaustion, Balint found her and took her to the security wing of the primary administration building to rest with Oliver and Keeya.

She slept a dreamless twelve hours straight – before forcing herself to wake up and go back to work.

Three days later, Rosemary and her workforce had miraculously managed to press the chaos into some semblance of order. Everyone was finally starting to settle in. Her plan to include the hybrids' families in the management of Bridgeton was finally starting to bear fruit. In a very short time, they started to feel less like refugees and more like true citizens of the Citadel. They had homes, jobs... they had purpose.

Imitha came by the administration building's cafeteria with fresh loaves of bread. After she dropped them off, she started looking for Rosemary. She was finally pointed in the right direction – in the storage closet of one of the infant dormitories. Rosemary was sitting in the corner of the large closet, her head resting on her knees – fast asleep. Imitha knelt down next to her friend and grimacing, took a wet cloth from a nearby dispenser to wipe away crust and dirt from Rosemary's skin.

Rosemary remained asleep while Imitha cleaned her of what looked to be the dried remains of vomit, milk, and asari anti-rash ointment. "Ugh. When was the last time you took a shower, Rosemary," Imitha muttered, mostly to herself.

Rosemary stirred. She smiled appreciatively when she realized where she was and what her friend had done. "Thanks, Imitha. I... think I showered maybe... yesterday? No, the day before that?"

Imitha shuddered. "And the last time you slept?"

"Um..."

Imitha stood and put her hands on her hips. "Rosemary Fletcher, you are taking a break. You are going home, showering, and going to sleep!"

Rosemary shook her head. "Can't. Too much to do."

"Tough! Move it!"

Rosemary sighed. "No need to yell."

"You won't listen if I don't. MOVE IT!"


	27. Ch 27

**CHAPTER 27**

When she received a summons from Eastment – she really should have known better. Nowadays, the Councilors all corresponded with her via omni-tool, including Eastment. When she got into the skycar with Balint – Imitha, Oliver, and Keeya were inside. Turns out that Balint had petitioned Eastment for Rosemary and her family to have a true day off – no C-Sec or Bridgeton business whatsoever. Imitha had been ready enough to close Wakey Brews for a day, much to the disappointment of their regulars.

Wakey Brews had become quite trendy over the past few weeks, once word had gotten out about its drinks and warm and scrumptious baked goods. Although Wakey Brews could have remained open, with Haka and Ossuri now working there – Imitha had been so overjoyed about the prospect of spending down time with her best friend that she had happily given them all the day off... with pay. Rosemary didn't brood about that too much. Haka and Ossuri were proving to be good employees, capable and eager to learn. Ossuri usually shadowed Rosemary, however, intent on mastering the way of the bean, and Haka worked more alongside Imitha, obsessed with her delicately flaky croissants.

Rosemary, Balint, Imitha, Oliver, and Keeya went to Shepard Park where a free concert was already underway. Imitha laid out a modest picnic of dainty sandwiches, dextro and non-dextro juices, and cupcakes. They enjoyed the picnic and the music in the soft glow of moonlight, and the whispering, cool breezes.

Rosemary drifted as Oliver and Keeya tossed around a ball with Balint and Imitha, lulled to sleep by a full stomach and the gentle notes of elcorian wind instruments. When she woke up, it must have just been an hour later – her head was resting on Balint's lap, and Imitha, Oliver, and Keeya were sleeping around her, contented smiles on their faces. Balint was running his fingers gently through her hair.

"They're so beautiful..."

"Hm?" Rosemary was slow to feel self-conscious, even as Balint was touching her hair so gently... intimately.

"Your hair – they're like shining curls of chocolate."

Rosemary blushed. With some reluctance, she forced herself to sit up. Balint's lap had been very comfortable, even encased in armor. "You know, you should rest, too."

"I will. Later." Balint closed his eyes. "I like this. Listening to the sighing strings of instruments on a cool, crisp night... It reminds me of home."

"Palaven?" Rosemary was curious; Balint had never talked about his life before C-Sec.

"No... I was born on Palaven, and I spent the latter part of my teenage years there, but no... Most of my childhood I spent on Gellix."

Rosemary had never heard of it. Then again, she'd been Earth-bound until less than a year ago. "Where's that?"

"A garden world in the Arrae System, in the Minos Wasteland. I... was raised in one of its penal colonies."

Rosemary's eyes widened. "Penal colonies? What do you mean?"

Balint was silent for a minute. Then, he told her what he had probably told very few people in his life: the truth. "My father was a thief, and my mother – an assassin. They fell in love, had me, got caught – and had me smuggled to Gellix so I could be with them."

"What were they like?"

Balint smiled slightly. "My father was a easygoing guy – it was hard to get him angry. If you annoyed him, he just... stole something that would ruin your life for a few months. Nothing too expensive or fancy, just – vital."

Rosemary smiled. "That's unique."

"He was pretty amazing," Balint agreed, his smile fond, but sad. "My mother was a bit neurotic, but kind to genuinely good people. She used to tell me to 'treasure the good ones', because life 'makes villains out of too, too many people'. 'It's my job', she used to tell me, 'to slit the throats of the bad ones'. She told me that she only took jobs that 'made the galaxy a little safer for the good guys'."

Rosemary's smile grew wry. "That's... twisted, but not wrong. At least it doesn't sound too wrong to me."

Balint looked at her, a little surprise on his face. "You know... you're the first non-krogan to not tell me she was crazy for thinking that way."

"Non-krogan?"

Balint sighed and leaned back on his hands. He looked up at the darkened sky, his face grim and haunted. "When I was seven, the family of one of my mother's victims put out a hit out on my mother. My dad died trying to protect her. Lost them both."

Rosemary understood his pain all too well. She put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Balint."

Balint saw the tears in her eyes, and felt better for her understanding. He looked away again. "Yeah... I starved for a while – then I tried to steal from a small gang of krogans. They decided to adopt me when I killed the one who caught me. Taught me how to fight."

That explained how he managed to overpower that Blood Pack krogan in the Zakera Wards... Thinking about it, Rosemary was once again impressed.

"When I turned fifteen, they turned me over to the turian military."

Rosemary frowned. "Why would they...?"

"I had no criminal record. I had a future. I think they wanted what was best for me, and the Hierarchy was never one to refuse a soldier. Got a reputation as a decent sniper – got noticed by Sparatus."

 _Sparatus... Sparatus... Oh! That's the turian councilor's name..._

"He's the one who recommended me to C-Sec. And the rest... you know."

Rosemary was silent for a moment, then, "Why are you telling me this, Balint?"

Balint thought about it. "Well, I know all about you – only seems fair."

Rosemary leaned forward and pressed her lips against his mouth. He tangled his hand in her curls and they kissed softly, taking their time. Unlike their previous heated exchange, this one was slow, sweet... and different. Lust took a backseat to Rosemary's softer emotions, and judging by the gentle look in Balint's golden eyes when they pulled apart – he felt the same. They held each other for a long while. Rosemary closed her eyes and drank in his warmth and just... _him_. Inwardly, she sighed – not knowing how she should feel about this. _I'm... I'm in trouble._


	28. Ch 28

**CHAPTER 28**

Luckily, for the next few weeks, Rosemary had work to prioritize her thoughts – rather than romance. Balint also seemed shaken by the new turn their feelings had taken for each other, and kept things professional. They both needed time to sort out these new feelings, and wordlessly decided to give each other some space.

With the help of her staff, Rosemary was finally getting the hand of things. She didn't even notice the official documents finalizing her position as Head Administrator until Meeno gave her the engraved name plate for her desk – and an office to go with that desk and plate. The Bridgeton office wasn't as personal as Wakey Brews, and would probably never be. As soon as things settled down more, Rosemary planned on conducting most of her business – C-Sec, Wakey Brews, and Bridgeton's – at her Wakey Brews base.

Construction was finally getting underway for the geth, quarian, and krogan embassies. Already, a small, three-raced army was moving in to protect the sites – adding the extra protection Bridgeton needed.

Rosemary's fingers twitched. She felt drained... and sore. She was thinking about all the work she needed to do back at any of her offices, while being hooked up to several quietly-humming machines. She was in the central laboratory of the Center for Synthesis Research. This was how she had spent her nights the past week – being studied, prodded, and poked by a hundred or so needles.

"Good news," one of the scientists said, walking up to her, looking at his omni-tool. "We had a breakthrough last night."

"On?" Rosemary could only think foggy thoughts, her body throbbing from exertion. A team of scientists had worked on her relentlessly, asking endless questions, and running her blood and whatever else through countless tests.

"On... what you wanted. Remember? You wanted to siphon the hybrids' excess energies into containers." The salarian scientist showed her a large cylindrical glass container, filled with a pulsing, violet light. "They won't hold though," he said, frowning.

An asari scientist walked up, nodding. "He's right, Administrator. We need something to funnel the excess krogan energies into. Something... organic. We need more of you," she said bluntly.

"Asari biotic energies, krogan toughness, salarian enhanced mental capacities... We need to find more Unique Energy Facilitators. It will be a simple enough business to siphon the excess biotic energies into Bridgeton's barrier – but we need organic vessels for the krogan and salarian energies."

They were stressing the same point – she understood them well enough. She lacked a higher education, certainly, but she wasn't an idiot. _Fat chance of these college bigheads understanding that, though._ Annoyed, she asked, "What do you want me to do? Use Keeya as a... UEF dowsing rod?"

The salarian scientist looked eager at the possibility. "Can you do that? Where do we even start to look," he asked his fellow scientist more than Rosemary.

Rosemary still answered. "I... don't know."

It had been weeks. The doctors at the clinic said the hybrids could last another week – maybe – before their power exploded out of them. She didn't think there was anywhere on the Citadel safe from that kind of disaster. They were running out of time – she needed to figure something out quick.

XOXOXOXO

The next day, Meeno popped into her office to give her the progress reports on the buildings and structures still in the process of construction. He was back to his aloof, competent self – as if they both had agreed not to acknowledge the fact that he was completely extranet-learned. That suited her just fine – whatever floated his professional, competent boat. She just hoped that the next time Bridgeton faced disaster, he would be more in control of his... panicky emotions.

"Construction is finished on the docking bay," Meeno informed her, tapping various commands into his omni-tool.

Rosemary frowned. "We have a docking bay?"

"It's in the plans... You know, for emergency evacuations?"

Rosemary drew up the plans herself. "Yes, but I thought I axed it. It's a docking bay that can dock only _one_ medium-sized ship. We have _thousands_ of people here. I submitted my proposal to Eastment for a multi-docked bay weeks ago... What's the point of having a _huge_ ship with thousands of people – and having just one lifeboat?"

"You mean 'life pod'."

"Whatever."

"Yes, but Eastment axed your... axing." Meeno shrugged apologetically. "Construction went on, and now it's complete. It was already two thirds done when you tried to cut it, anyway."

Rosemary sighed. "Great."

"Plus – it's more of a private docking bay."

"Oh?"

Meeno shrugged. "Yeah, for one of the Council's favorite ships. You know – the one with the huge action figure set?"

"The Normandy?"

"Yeah, that's the one." Meeno cocked his head. "You're smiling."

 _Oliver is going to shit himself_ , she thought smiling, leaning back in her chair.

XOXOXOXO

Five days later, Balint walked into Wakey Brews with a present for Rosemary. She warily accepted the fancy cylindrical container and opened the lid. She burst out with a happy squeal. Haka looked over curiously. "Beans!"

Balint smiled, enjoying Rosemary's reaction. "It's a new blend from Eden Prime. It's apparently become quite popular in its system."

Rosemary inhaled the fragrant, buttery aroma – _Oh! It smells fantastic!_ She couldn't wait to try it out! Then Balint dropped the bomb, "I also want to talk about our... relationship."

Rosemary cleared her throat, suddenly panicked. "Oh... do you?" She tried to keep her nervousness from showing in her voice.

She failed. Haka cackled and took the container from Rosemary. "This is really funny," she snickered.

Balint grinned, thoroughly enjoying Rosemary's unease and Haka's mirth. "How so?"

"You're male – and wanting to _talk_ about _feelings._ Rosemary's acting like a cornered male. That's hilarious," Haka declared, grinning.

"Oh, we'll be talking about sex, too," Balint assured the krogan.

"OKAY, we'll talk!" Mortified, Rosemary grabbed Balint's arm and dragged him to her office. Haka was cracking up behind them.

Rosemary closed her door and drew the curtains. "I can't believe you said that," she wailed, distraught. "I'm her _boss_ , Balint!"

"I thought you were just the manager," the turian teased.

"Well, I'm still her boss, and Imitha's my boss – but I'm still her boss," Rosemary argued.

Balint didn't sit in the chair across from Rosemary's. Instead, he drew her up and close against him. Any further complaints fled Rosemary's mind, as she fought the distraction of this intimate position. "We needed to talk, Rose," Balint said softly – seriously.

Rosemary couldn't argue with that. She slumped. "I know, but..."

"Your new employee was right. You are acting like a cornered male afraid of commitment," Balint teased. Rosemary looked at his face then. His tone was teasing, but his expression told a different story. The vulnerable look in his honey-gold eyes touched her more than his words ever could.

"Balint... I'm not afraid of commitment. I like you. I really like you." She wasn't ready yet to voice her real feelings. … Not yet, anyway.

"But?"

"I..."

Balint sighed. "Look, Rose. I really like you, too. … Reapers, I just sounded like a teenager."

Rosemary grinned; he really had.

"Let's cut to the chase. I want us to be exclusive. You and me – that's it."

Rosemary blinked. That really was cutting to the chase. She narrowed her eyes, suddenly suspicious. "What brought this on all of a sudden, Balint?"

The turian shrugged. "Maybe I'm tired of us keeping our distance. Maybe I'm impatient."

"Maybe... because a certain ship got their own private dock at Bridgeton and they might be visiting soon – maybe with a certain turian of Vakarian persuasion?"

Balint scratched his fringe, looking sheepish. "Okay, maybe that has something to do with it."

Rosemary rolled her eyes. "And you want to stake your claim before Garrus shows up."

A possessive look entered Balint's eyes. "Yes, I do."

She couldn't let him keep thinking... whatever it was he was thinking. "Balint – I should have told you before. Garrus and I were friends with benefits. Meaning – friends first."

Balint smiled slowly. "... 'Were'?"

Rosemary blushed. Why draw it out any longer? She liked Balint, and Balint liked her. What was she so afraid of? "Okay... fine. We'll be exclusive. You and me. That's it."

Balint liked her answer. "Good. Now that that's out of the way – we need to talk about Divide." Balint pulled away from her and sat in one of her squashy chairs.

 _Seriously?_ "You have a miserable sense of romance," she grouched, disappointed.

"Oh, we'll mark each other later," the turian drawled. "But for now – we have work-related things to talk about."

"What do you mean 'mark'?" The term sounded familiar. Maybe Imitha had mentioned at one time or another.

"Turians mark each other to show their... unavailability. It's just a nick on the neck. The markings for marital bonding is much more severe."

"Really?" That was a... unique way for couples to brand their partners. Rosemary wasn't overly concerned, though.

"Yeah. Good thing I know you already like things a little rough," Balint purred, leaning forward. He had that familiar, heated look in his eyes.

"Work! You said we have to talk about work stuff!" Rosemary quickly took her seat behind her desk. Then another thought hit her. "Wait... then that means I have to mark... you, right?"

"Yes."

Rosemary ran her tongue across her square, very-human teeth. "I don't know if my krogan strength extends to my teeth," she worried aloud.

Balint chuckled. "My neck, Rose – my neck. Nowhere on the carapace."

"Oh." He had said that. Feeling stupid, she smoothed out some papers. "So you wanted to talk about Divide?"

Balint's expression was serious once again. "Yes. I think Saeli's planning something."


	29. Ch 29

**CHAPTER 29**

Rosemary's brow furrowed. "What makes you think that Saeli's planning something."

Balint glared at the wall behind Rosemary's head. "We both know her, Rose. The fact is... _nothing_ is happening. Divide has claimed a good-sized territory in the Wards – but their gang activity hasn't reached the Crucible... yet."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

The turian shook his head. "No. We know Divide's agenda. They're anti-change, anti-synthesization... anti-hybrid. Bridgeton is hybrid-central. They should be attacking us now – at the very least, attempting infiltration. I checked the logs personally; Divide doesn't have an agent within Bridgeton's walls. And that's a bad thing."

Rosemary was almost afraid to ask. "How so?"

"In the case of Saeli and those that follow her... quiet is not good. They're up to something. I know it and you do, too."

Rosemary bit her lip. "Maybe..." She could only hope Balint was wrong.

"Do you remember that human saying that Saeli was so fond of?"

She frowned, trying to remember... "'Cat got your tongue'?"

Balint rolled his eyes. "We're being serious here, Rose," his smile deceiving those very words. "'Go big or go home'."

Rosemary's eyes widened. "Oh."

"Exactly."

Balint was right. _Saeli's planning something... something big. Reapers, we're in trouble._

XOXOXOXO

Despite the curdling feelings of foreboding that Balint's warning had left in her gut, Rosemary was trying to enjoy a leisurely shift at Wakey Brews.

The coffee shop was two thirds full, and Rosemary couldn't be more pleased about that. _This_ was her heaven. The air smelled like cookies and freshly ground coffee beans, and was filled with the pleasant chatter of content, relaxed customers. Wakey Brews had quickly become popular, drawing people at all times of day. Ossuri was quickly learning the art of coffee-brewing, and Haka was currently helping Imitha with a pastry menu that would appeal to humans, elcor, krogan, and beyond...

Haka was leaning forward on the counter, surfing the extranet on the credit register terminal, researching volus recipes. Judging by the krogan's scowl – she wasn't getting anywhere with it. "Why can't volus recipes be simple," Haka growled, angrily flicking the screen. "Their _ingredients_ list is five prose-y paragraphs long! If I go into a blood-rage – this is why."

Rosemary smirked. "Good to know."

"Bah. I'll do it later – I'm liable to smash something if I go on." Haka looked at Rosemary, who was checking their inventory list against their supply of spoons. "We're doing well, though. Maybe next year... you and Imitha could think of expanding? Your coffee and Imitha's pastries are addictive – and this will be too small a space for your customers pretty soon."

Rosemary wasn't so sure about that. "I don't know... I think I want to take things one day at a time, you know? What with the crazy gang activity going on... We'll probably think about it more when the territories are settled." Balint's warning had made her nervous, too.

Haka grunted grudging agreement. "I hear you. Just the other day, I got some Eclipse salarians in here – asking me to give them some 'protection credits'."

Rosemary frowned. "What did you say?"

The krogan shrugged. "I didn't go into a blood-rage, if that's what you're wondering. Please notice that all the furniture is intact, and the windows un-shattered."

Rosemary grinned at Haka's wry tone. "Then what happened?"

Haka grunted again. "I told you – they were salarians. I put both of them under my arms and lugged them out the door. … Coincidentally, our street sign may be a little dented."

She _had_ wondered about that. "Ah."

"They're still alive – barely. But they got the message."

Rosemary sighed. "I'll have to write a report about that."

Haka frowned. "Why?"

"If I don't, C-Sec won't increase security in this area. And if they don't increase security – those salarians could come back with friends."

Haka growled, annoyed. "Maybe I should have killed them, then."

"Easy, big girl."

Haka's eyes narrowed. "Bigger than you, maybe. If you'd been a krogan calling me 'big'..."

Rosemary rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh."

Finished for now, Rosemary went back to her office. Nuni was hard at work at her desk terminal. Rosemary placed a dextro honey biscuit and a latte on a space next to her. Because of Nuni, Rosemary was well on her way to operating solely from her Wakey Brews office. "Thanks for this again, Nuni. I can't wait to not have to commute from job to job."

"Veracia still doesn't like it."

"Veracia doesn't like anything," Rosemary grouched. Her captain was a pain – constantly sending her disapproving messages of how he would be 'highly displeased' should she choose to work from Wakey Brews. "He probably gets hives at the thought of me working from someplace comfortable."

"He probably misses picking on you," Nuni said sagely, sticking the straw from her latte through the opening in her mask.

"You're probably right."

Rosemary's omni-tool started flashing. She leaned against her office wall and accepted the call. "Hey, Balint."

The turian didn't mince words. "Bridgeton's under attack."

XOXOXOXO

Captain Veracia appeared at Wakey Brews just in time to stop Rosemary, who had been about to run through the front doors.

"Balint said you would be doing something idiotic," the turian snarled, forcing Rosemary to sit down in the nearest booth.

"I don't have time for this!" Rosemary knew she could easily throw Veracia out of the way – but he was her boss... and that would be rude. She had to go! "I need to go – and help!"

Veracia didn't mince words. "This is a military matter, Fletcher! What _exactly_ would you be doing to help?"

"I... My krogan... strength...?" Somehow, that sounded lamer out loud than it had been in her head.

The turian sneered. "There's a small ARMY attacking Bridgeton, Fletcher! They have GUNS! You won't get close enough to make a difference!" Rosemary was no longer fighting to get up, but he wasn't finished. "From what I hear – you may have krogan strength – but we're talking strength from a small, WEAK krogan!"

"Sir...!" Nuni stood up in defense of her friend.

"QUIET, QUARIAN!"

Nuni snapped. "NO, _YOU_ SHUT IT!"

Completely floored by Nuni's outburst, Veracia fell quiet. Rosemary stared at her friend. "Nuni?"

"Her people are getting attacked, Veracia – and she wants to help! There's nothing wrong with that," Nuni growled. Then she looked at Rosemary, and in a gentler tone, "But he's right, Rosemary. You're better off here."

"But..."

"Do you trust Balint?"

Rosemary didn't have to think about it. "Yes."

"Then let him handle it. He's a soldier through and through – and one who knows command. This is his stage. Yours is here."

Rosemary knew they were right. Her place was wherever was safe... "...wielding my awesome secretarial skills?" Her tone was dry.

Nuni chuckled. "Yes."

Rosemary didn't like it, but she had to admit that Nuni... and Veracia were right. Looking more than a little piqued, Veracia stormed out of the coffee shop. Neither Rosemary nor Nuni stopped him. "I can't believe you shushed him," Rosemary told Nuni, awe in her voice. "He doesn't listen to ANYONE. And you're below him!"

Nuni was quiet for a moment. "... There's more truth to that than you think," she finally muttered.

 _NO..._ "You're SLEEPING with him?!"

The quarian shrugged and cocked her head. "Well, not so much sleeping..."

"OH MY GOD, NUNI!"

"Oh, come off it," Nuni said, embarrassed. "How on Rannoch did you think you were getting so much time off?!"


	30. Ch 30

**CHAPTER 30**

Some people worked best under pressure. Thankfully, at least for the sake of the Wakey Brews' customers, Rosemary was one of those people. She took in the complicated and simple drink orders and turned them out flawlessly – without missing a beat and with record smoothness. Maybe it helped that her mother had started her on barista training since she was three so that she could function almost solely on body memory – but it probably also had a lot to do with everyone being on board. Imitha and Haka handled the baking, while Ossuri made up for Rosemary's complete disinterest in appearing pleasant for the customers' sakes. The asari had called in sick at her 'other' job to help out at Wakey Brews. Rosemary listened and executed the customers' orders, but Ossuri was the face of Wakey Brews that night – attentive and pleasant in all of the interactions.

Rosemary wasn't exactly panicking – her nerves just wouldn't stop crackling. Work kept her from sinking into full hysteria – but the last time she'd heard from Balint, he'd reported that Divide had launched a full-scale attack on Bridgeton. Well – not exactly. To get to Bridgeton, Divide had to go through the embassies' constructions sites – and the geth, quarians, and krogan were having none of that. They were more than holding their own, Balint had told her, so Bridgeton was safe – at the moment.

"To be honest, Divide doesn't have a chance," Balint had told her.

"Isn't that good news?" Balint hadn't sounded like that had been good news.

"... No. This isn't Saeli. Saeli doesn't do brute force. If anything, she'd use it..."

"... as a distraction," Rosemary finished, feeling cold run down her spine.

"Exactly. Watch out for yourself, Rose."

It was the least she could do. She could hear the sound of shouts and gunfire in the background – he was risking his life, and here she was... serving coffee. Being royally useless. "I will."

XOXOXOXO

Time did nothing but fray Rosemary's nerves to their breaking point. Feeling helpless and angry about it, Rosemary was fast losing patience with keeping busy – feeling absolutely stupid and _worthless_!

Imitha thrust a tray of biscuits into Rosemary's arms. "Here. Make yourself useful," the turian said curtly.

Rosemary couldn't take it anymore. "My Bridgeton is under attack – and you want me to serve freakin' biscuits?!"

"It'll put your pacing to good use," Imitha said firmly, walking back to her kitchen.

Rosemary knew Imitha was just trying to help, in her own Imitha-like way, but... Sighing, she went back to the front of the store to put out the biscuits. Keeping busy here wasn't helping, but it wasn't _not_ helping either...

Twenty minutes later, Rosemary had had enough of Imitha's half-annoyed, half-sympathetic looks and ducked into the woman's bathroom. Once inside, she leaned against the sink and checked her omni-tool for what had to be the hundredth time. _… Nothing._

"Oh, good. You're just being neurotic. I was half afraid you were going to, you know, relieve... yourself. I mean, that's what people usually do in a bathroom."

Rosemary started and looked around. No one was... there. Right next to her, the faucet turned on – water splashed on something unseen – and the faucet turned off. "Who's uh... there?" Was she actually going crazy? Was the voice just in her head...?

"Oh, right. Sorry."

There was a shimmer right next to her – it was a tiny bathroom – and a woman appeared. She was human – Asian – garbed in black stealth armor that included a hood that cast most of her face in shadow. She had a sharp, thick line of purple running through the middle of her lower lip, and a sheepish smile. "Who are...?"

"Hi. I'm Kasumi," the woman introduced herself.

"Kasumi... Goto?"

"You've heard of me?" The woman didn't look pleased about that. "That's... not good. I'm that famous?"

What was with the Normandy crew? It's like they didn't know anything about themselves outside of, well, the Normandy. Didn't they have the extranet? "You have an _action figure_ ," Rosemary reminded the woman.

"I thought I destroyed all the ones of me," Kasumi muttered, sounding displeased.

That was different. Now that Rosemary thought about it, the Kasumi action figures _were_ really rare. It made sense – it had been the most expensive piece of Oliver's set. Speaking of Oliver... "My brother would like an autograph. Could you... sometime... maybe?"

Kasumi grimaced. "I was told about him – the rabid fan."

"He's hardly that," Rosemary huffed, offended.

"Yeah, well, listen – I'm not that great around kids, so..."

That didn't matter to Rosemary. She was going to get that autograph one way or another. It all came down to timing – and this was definitely not the time. "Why are you here? Is it about Bridgeton?"

"Um... kind of?"

Rosemary dragged Kasumi to her office – which had been kind of awkward. The woman had insisted on going invisible again – so Rosemary had looked like some crazy person, storming off to her office, her hand behind her, latched onto... air? She didn't care, though. She shut the door to her office and placed her hands on her hips. "Okay, what's going on?"

Kasumi turned off the stealth function on her suit and leaned against Rosemary's desk. "I'm not so good with explanations, so here – " She clicked a few buttons on her omni-tool and brought up a holographic image of Garrus – a recorded message.

The message itself had some static – the image of Garrus flickered once or twice, but it was still pretty clean. It had been a while since she had seen Garrus – he looked well enough, but serious. "Hey, Rose. We were picking up more hybrid refugees when Balint got to us about the attack. By the time you get this message, I will have convinced EDI, who will browbeat Joker into getting to your Bridgeton with all possible speed. Nice name, by the way. I'm... off – got Kasumi, Jack, and Miranda to keep... on you and your kids. Me and Balint have a feeling that you three... real targets. Don't mind Kasumi – she has a thing about... invisible. Some kind of fetish thing..."

"Hey," Kasumi protested. Then she gave it a second. "... he's not wrong. Heh."

Rosemary shook her head. Garrus went on, "Anyway, got some Divide asses to snipe – stay safe. See you soon."

Kasumi turned her omni-tool off and lowered her arm. "So... I guess we wait. … I smelled donuts when I came in – do you have donuts?"

"Um, yeah," Rosemary said, distracted.

"Good – I hope they have chocolate sprinkles. I really do love sprinkles."

"For a thief, you sure do talk a lot," Rosemary said wryly.

"I'm quiet when I have to be," the thief said, grinning. "Now, about those donuts..."

XOXOXOXO

The battle only lasted another hour after that. When the Normandy appeared at the gates of Bridgeton – Divide had ordered a full retreat. It didn't take long for the level to be clear of agitators. Once Balint gave the all-clear, Rosemary told Kasumi plainly that she was leaving.

The thief shrugged. "Hey, go ahead."

Rosemary nodded, satisfied. "Make sure Jack and Lawson stay with the kids." She put on her jacket and put up her curls in a quick, fluffy bun.

Kasumi made a face. "... are you sure? Those two kind of hate each other."

Rosemary checked her omni-tool one last time. "Tough chickens!"

Kasumi grinned. "I like you. You must have been the boss in the bedroom with Garrus," she said teasingly.

Rosemary shook her head. This wasn't the time for that.

XOXOXOXO

It was worse than she thought. Or at least, it looked that way, judging by the destruction. Rosemary felt kind of guilty, seeing the damaged, blasted sites of the embassies. Kasumi had followed her cloaked, easily keeping up with her fast pace, all the way to the Bridgeton level of the Crucible.

Blood and smoking debris littered the ground; several bits of greenery flickered with heat. The keepers were making quick work of any flames, however, methodically working their way along the level. Grateful for the mysterious creatures, Rosemary went to the smoking site of the krogan embassy first. Krogans had tempers; she might as well get it over with.

Jogh, Haka's suitor, greeted her, his armor cracked in several places, bleeding from his chin and crest – and looking... ecstatic? "Now this is what I'm talking about," he boomed, laughing. He clapped Rosemary on the shoulder merrily, causing her to stumble. "When Wrex assigned me here, I almost killed him!"

"Wait, what?" She didn't understand...

"The Citadel can be the most boring place in the galaxy – too safe! Gah! This got my blood pumping! Thank you!"

Still confused, Rosemary said, "For what?"

"Providing such magnificent bait to attract people I can _kill_! Ha, HA, HA! GLORIOUS!"

Rosemary backed away slowly...

She was still shaking her head at the krogan's oddly-gotten jubilance when she went to the site of the geth embassy. She was greeted by a geth who called himself Messenger 12001. "That's... your name?"

The white-armored unit inclined its head in an eerie, human-like motion. "Since the sacrifice of the hero, Legion, most units have acquired names. We pick the most... fitting appellation that suits a geth's individual intelligence programming. Here, on the Citadel, we answer to Warlord."

"That's... an interesting name."

"It is downloaded with every war strategy digitally acknowledged in the galaxy. We... expected trouble when we requested an embassy of the Council. So the unit known as Warlord was sent."

Hearing that, Rosemary felt... relieved? She couldn't quite put a name to the alleviated sense of guilt she was feeling.

Warlord was easiest, the biggest, most intimidating geth prime she'd ever seen. Granted, it _was_ the only geth prime she'd ever seen, but still... it was... tall. Its armor, no, his body, was covered with scrapes, gouges, and blast marks – all of varying age. Its armor was red, like most primes, but quarian writing was inked all over its arms... like tattoos. The sight was... surreal, to say the least.

The geth prime acknowledged her presence by fixing its eye... light... thing on her when she approached with Messenger 12001. "Greetings, Head Administrator. You have come to assess the damage?"

In a matter of speaking, yes. "Is it bad," she wanted to know.

The light blinked once. "We have yet to calculate the full extent of the damages. The councilors of the humans and turians warned us about the danger of building an embassy on this level. We were prepared – but we thank you for... I believe you call it, 'checking in'."

Thanking the geth prime for its understanding, Rosemary walked away from the site and started walking towards where the quarians were.

Kasumi was still behind her, cloaked. "A geth with tattoos. Now I've seen everything," she muttered. Rosemary suppressed a chuckle.

Meeno was already at the site of the quarian embassy. This area had suffered the least amount of damage, from the look of things. Meeno nodded to her when she approached, and introduced the quarian he had been talking to. "This is Lia'Vael vas Quohat, the ambassador of our people."

Rosemary shook the female quarian's hand. "I am Rosemary Fletcher, Head Administrator of Bridgeton." It was going to take her a while to get used to the title thing – might as well start now.

"Lia'Vael vas Quohat is young, but she finished her Pilgrimage during the War – when the Reapers took the Citadel away from Widow Space." Meeno's tone bordered on reverence. "She successfully protected millions of Citadel citizens from Reaper forces by single-handedly hacking the security systems of the Wards and leading its defense. She is young," he said again. ", but she's a hero! A paragon!"

Lia'Vael sounded embarrassed by Meeno's enthusiastic praise. "Well, I'm young, compared to you, Meeno," she teased him gently.

"Ouch." Rosemary grinned, wondering exactly how old Meeno was. He couldn't be that old – but he had to be young-ish, judging by his emotional control.

Meeno deflated at Lia's teasing. He sighed, telling Rosemary, "Before you ask: we're fine."

Lia nodded her head in agreement with Meeno. "Thank you for asking, but the geth and krogan suffered the bulk of the attack. Our biotic barriers and quarian-style traps kept most of the Divide animals away."

Rosemary straightened. "Traps?"

Lia shrugged, as if what she was telling bore little to no significance. "Yes... If you're carrying a weapon and step on once of the blue stones surrounding the immediate area..."

"You're pretty much fried," Meeno finished, sounding gleeful.

"Fried?"

"Crispy, even," he confirmed cheerfully.

Rosemary was taken aback. "The Council allowed that? That seems... dangerous." C-Sec carried weapons... She knew the traps had probably had a significant part in protecting the embassy, but in the long run...

Lia shook her head. "Of course. The traps will be deactivated once the building is finished," she assured the human. "And as to the Council allowing it... Yes and no. You can't really allow or disallow something that you don't know about, right?"

Rosemary smiled in agreement. She had her concerns, but the quarian ambassador seemed like the reasonable sort. And there was nothing too wrong with bending a few rules...

Rosemary and Lia'Vael exchanged contact information via their omni-tools before Rosemary apologized. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I've yet to check on Bridgeton."

The quarians understood. "Until the next attack," Lia called out in a wry tone as Rosemary walked away.

That was not something to look forward to, Rosemary thought glumly.

Just before they reached the gates of Bridgeton, Kasumi piped up, "Do you think we can sit down anytime soon? I think I ate one too many donuts..."


	31. Ch 31

**CHAPTER 31**

Balint was the first person Rosemary saw when she flashed her identification at Bridgeton's gates. Seeing no one else, she ran, leaping over debris and the groaning body of a Divide gangster to get to him.

Overwhelmed with relief, she wrapped her arms around him when she reached him and tearfully pressed her lips to his mouth. Reacting instinctively, the turian returned her embrace and kiss with mounting passion.

Someone coughed.

She pulled away from Balint to see Tross, standing less than five feet away from them. She mentally shrugged. She was too relieved to see Balint alive to care about being embarrassed. She returned her attention to Balint and examined him, her brow furrowed with worry. His armor was dented in several places; several pieces were blacked and still hot to the touch – but other than that, he seemed... fine.

"You're fine," she murmured, happily surprised. "Thank God."

"I could have told you that," he said, amused by her fretting.

Rosemary looked around. She knew Kasumi was around... being invisible, but four other people were around: Tross, Vega, Joker, and EDI. She blinked. How had she missed them?

Vega and Joker were grinning at the very public show of affection Balint and Rosemary had just treated them to – while EDI was cocking her head at them. She looked like she was... studying them. "You two have plainly entered into a sexual relationship," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, you can't get any plainer than that," Joker snickered in agreement.

"But where does that leave Garrus?"

Everyone stilled as the atmosphere suddenly became – there was no other word for it – awkward. Rosemary tried not to grimace. Had EDI had to say that out loud... in front of everybody?

Then Garrus was there too, an amused glint in his eyes. Where had he come from? He answered everyone's unspoken question by reporting, "The immediate perimeter's clear – and as of five minutes ago, the same goes for the entire level. The only Divide left are dead or dying. And as to your question, EDI: It leaves me abandoned, and very, very sad about it."

Balint snorted. Fighting a smile, Rosemary shook her head and quickly changed the subject. She looked around at all of them. "So what's the damage?"

"The embassies took the brunt of the attack. The stragglers never made it past the inner barrier. Less than five made it past the first layer," Balint told her.

"Explain the damage, then," Garrus drawled. "You look like you stepped on a grenade – getting rusty in your advanced age, Balint?"

"We're _two_ years apart, Garrus," Balint snapped.

"Clearly, experience isn't everything."

Shaking his head, Balint ignored Garrus' baiting and explained, "I went to help at the quarian embassy site. Quarians aren't exactly ideal for the front line – not yet anyway."

Rosemary nodded her agreement. Though, once quarians were able to get around without their masks, without such a huge fear of infection – things might change.

Vega cleared his throat. "Right – well, we should get back to work."

"But we just got here," EDI said, puzzled by Vega's statement. "Based on my extranet research, reunions on average require the participation of all parties for at least an hour and a half – before naturally dissolving."

Joker tried to pull the android away. "Come on, EDI," he muttered, turning red. Everyone else was walking away.

"What are you doing, Joker?"

Joker gestured for EDI to come close. She did. He whispered, but Rosemary didn't think he realized how well his voice carried to them. "Look, EDI, Rosemary's two lovers are meeting for the first time in a long time – They need to feel... and talk things out. Get things straight."

 _Oh, God..._ Rosemary wanted to cover her face with embarrassment. Balint and Garrus shook their heads, bemused.

EDI wasn't convinced. "What is your source," she demanded.

"Experience and soap operas," Joker said half-seriously.

Rosemary groaned as Joker finally managed to get EDI away. _No, no..._ Rosemary didn't like drama. Especially not drama that involved her... and talking. She _hated_ talking about _feelings_. Maybe Haka was right. Maybe she was too much like a guy in that aspect.

She looked at the two turians – who had been staring at each other for a few long minutes. Posturing. Each trying in vain to intimidate the other by sheer... what could Rosemary call it? Macho-ness? While Garrus had an inch or two on Balint height-wise, Balint had the squarer jaw, and the slightly more muscular build. … _Ah, hell._ Who was she kidding? Who were they kidding? Joker was right; they needed this to be over with. Settled. "Okay, are you guys good?"

Garrus' mandibles flared – contemplatively. "I only have one thing to say," he stated calmly. "... I was first."

 _Oh, stale coffee!_ Seriously?! "Garrus!"  
Balint didn't so much as snarl. In an equally calm, cocky tone, he countered, ", but I was better."

This was ridiculous! "Oh, for Reapers' sake!" Cross, she threatened, "If you don't stop this dick-measuring, I swear I'll chop them right off!"

Both turians winced. Rosemary sighed. That had been... harsh of her to say. In a gentler tone, she amended, "Look, you're both very attractive turians..."

"It's the scars," Garrus said with satisfaction.

Balint snorted again.

"It's the krogan in her, you see."

Balint grinned. Rosemary suppressed a chuckle. Trying to be serious, she continued, "I'm attracted to both of you, but Balint makes me feel..." How could she say it out loud? That Balint was the one who made her heart flutter? Garrus made her want to be there for him, but... "I respect you, Garrus, as a friend more..." She loved him, but mostly as... a friend. Yes, a sexy friend – but she respected the simple fact that his heart would always belong to Emma Shepard. And... she was okay with that.

Garrus' smile was gentle, and not the least bit sad. Somehow, he looked... happy for her? Or was she just imagining it? "I get it, Rose," he assured her. Then the glint was back. "I won't lie; I'm disappointed. The sex was great. Amazing, actually."

Balint growled, suddenly looking feral. "Watch it, Garrus."

Garrus ignored that. "But you're his, now. And you two are my friends. I won't do that to either of you."

Balint visibly relaxed.

Then Garrus continued, "I won't say no to a threesome, though."

Rosemary rolled her eyes. And Garrus had been doing so well, too! Balint grimaced. "I would. I do _not_ want to see you naked."

Garrus shrugged, unoffended. "Yeah, you're not my type, either."

Rosemary giggled, unable to help herself. With that, the tension dissipated. Rosemary, Garrus, and Balint walked back out of Bridgeton to wait for a skycar. When one finally arrived, they piled into it. Rosemary and Balint sat together, while Garrus sat across from them.

On the way home, Balint noticed the telling flush on Rosemary's cheeks. "Do I want to know what you're thinking about?"

"No."

Balint nodded and looked out the window. "Got it."

Rosemary would never tell him that she was thinking naughty thoughts... of having a threesome with Garrus. It would only be in her fantasies, though... In reality, she knew she couldn't handle _two_ turian studs at the same time. She'd have a heart attack. _But, oh... what a way to go_ , she thought, grinning raunchily to herself. Or so she thought.

"I bet I know what you're thinking off," Kasumi whispered in her ear, making her jump. ", and I'd do it. They can wear blindfolds if they want. … Ooh, that'd make it even kinkier," she teased.

Garrus and Balint had heard her, too. Balint glanced the question at his old partner. "The Normandy's resident pervert. Practically lives in stealth mode," Garrus explained.

"Nothing wrong with that," Kasumi defended herself. "Everyone needs a hobby."

XOXOXOXO

The next day, Vega decided that everyone would meet at Wakey Brews – of all places.

Rosemary didn't have much time. She had to get to C-Sec. She was multi-tasking, preparing everyone's drinks and getting ready for her first job. EDI had been kind enough to message everyone's orders before their arrival. Rosemary was working alone, waiting for Imitha to show up, but she was managing. "Why here, Vega?"

The muscular human had been grinning at her mother's plaque behind the counter. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"Why did you want everyone to meet here?"

James Vega shrugged. "Hey, you promised free coffee – and honestly? I've been on the Normandy too long. I want somewhere I can relax, you know?"

She had just been about to start his order. Touched, she switched out the medium cup for a large.

Haka had showed up earlier, and had put together a few tables in the back for them all to sit at. It was going to be a large group. "Who's coming, again?"

Vega counted off the people on his hands. "Kasumi, Samara, Liara, EDI, CARD, Garrus, Joker, Jacob, me, and Doctor Chakwas."

She knew that name. Wasn't she the Normandy's original doctor? "Chakwas?"

Vega waved the question off. "I'll explain later."

"Okay...?"

"That's a lot of Normandy Crew," Rosemary muttered, thinking. "Can my brother and Keeya come over too?"

Vega shrugged. "I don't see why not."

EDI and Joker had just walked through the doors. EDI looked at Rosemary, again looking puzzled. "Does he require more pigment and dye-based dedications."

"She means autographs," Joker cut in.

Rosemary smiled. "Yeah, I think he's missing a few."

"None for yourself," Joker said, smiling.

Rosemary wrinkled her nose. "Nah... he idolizes you guys. I just... work with you guys on occasion."

Vega grabbed the fabric over his chest. _Weird, he can do that_ , Rosemary thought randomly. Vega's shirts were always ridiculously tight. "Ow – my ego's bleeding, man."

Rosemary rolled her eyes. "Silly."


	32. Ch 32

**CHAPTER 32**

As Rosemary had predicted, Oliver was ecstatic at meeting everyone. Keeya didn't really care, though. She wandered over to Rosemary and put her arms up. When Rosemary picked her up, Keeya laid her head on her shoulder and almost immediately fell asleep. Rosemary glanced a question at the dark-haired woman in the very tight white armor(?) she recognized as Miranda Lawson, former Cerberus agent.

"Jack gave her a lot of candy – she's just crashing," Miranda offered by way of explanation.

Oliver ran up to Rosemary, blue eyes shining. "Jack and Miranda are so cool!"

The one with the tattoos – Jack – grinned. "Oh, yeah? Who's cooler?"

Almost everyone within hearing distance rolled their eyes – including the Wakey Brews customers that had been tuning into the strange conversation. Rosemary frowned. She should really think about putting in a soundproof room in the place if the Normandy crew planned to meet at the coffee shop on a regular basis.

Oliver stilled and appeared to consider the matter seriously. "... That depends. Do you draw a line at killing minors," he asked, directing the question to Jack.

The powerful biotic grinned. "I like you, kid. And mostly – I don't think I'd kill anyone below the age of twelve."

Samara, the other powerful biotic, narrowed her eyes at Jack. "He is a child, Jack," she berated her. "You shouldn't sound so heartless."

Oliver, however, was completely unintimidated. "You're so badass," he said, his voice full of awe.

Jack sneered at Miranda. "Told you he'd like me better," she gloated.

Miranda rolled her eyes.

Oliver blinked, and shrugged. "Eh. Once I go through puberty, though – I'll probably like Miranda better."

Miranda chuckled. Jack froze for a moment, surprised at that caveat. Then her grin returned. "I'll give you that, kid. I'm told I'm pretty scary in the bedr–"

"JACK," Samara, Liara, Vega, Joker, and Rosemary shouted.

"Everything all right back there," Haka called out from the front of the shop.

"Everything's fine," Rosemary called back. Or, rather, everything would be if Jack minded her language. She glared a warning at the biotic.

"Yeah, yeah..."

Minutes later, Oliver begged an autograph from Liara, who he had never met before. "Can you please sign my book? You're amazing!"

The asari flushed. "Oh, thank you... I was just the resident Prothean expert, though."

Oliver's eyes were glittered with wonder. "What's it like being the Shadow Broker?"

Liara froze mid-penstroke. Everyone stared at Oliver – but Rosemary stared at Liara T'Soni... the Shadow Broker? Rosemary may have been a simple, sheltered Earthbound human – but even she had heard whispers about the infamous Shadow Broker. And the Shadow Broker was Liara?! How had Oliver...

Oliver looked at everyone's shocked expressions. "Oh, was that still a secret?" He winced. "Sorry."

Vega stared. "How did you...?"

It suddenly clicked with Rosemary. "CARD."

The asari's eyes narrowed. "CARD," she hissed menacingly. "That little..."

EDI stared at Liara. "You will not attempt harm on my offspring, Liara T'Soni."

Liara stiffened – detecting an ominous sub-note beneath EDI's seemingly non-threatening tone. "I can't have him babbling, EDI."

Joker, who had remained quiet until now, intervened, "I'll talk to him, Liara. No violence needed."

The asari, the Shadow Broker, was visibly reluctant. "He's... a child, Joker. Will he listen to you?"

Joker nodded. "Yeah. Personality-wise, he's still a kid. Not even close to his rebellious, teenage phase."

EDI had relaxed. She agreed. "CARD listens to his paternal unit – for now. … I am considering skipping the teenage phase of his personality altogether – I do not think I can handle that particular brand of rebellious programming," she confessed.

The tension relaxed and disappeared completely when Haka came up with their orders.

Vega snickered. "God – an android teenager. He'll want to have sex with _everything_."

Everyone groaned – Rosemary included. She shook her head; Reapers, what a conversation.

XOXOXOXO

Doctor Karin Chakwas arrived after everyone but Vega had left to run personal errands around the Citadel. Vega had just finished his second drink and was settling into a miniature feast of pastries when the esteemed doctor walked into Wakey Brews.

"Good to shee you, doc," Vega greeted her with a mouthful of biscuit.

The graying, but elegant-looking woman sighed as she took a seat at the table. "Really, James – I've been telling you to watch your carbohydrates. You're eating quite a bit of it – not to mention all the sugar..."

"I'm a growing boy," Vega proclaimed, taking a sip of his iced mocha. "And I work it all off, anyway," he added boastfully.

"Not my point, Vega," Chakwas said sternly.

Vega shrugged, but put down the scone he'd been about to bite into. His expression turned serious. "Anyway, doc – the Normandy needs a new doctor. The one we had quit; he never much liked the diversity of our crew. You know as well as everyone else that the Normandy has always been your home."

"It's a home I can never return to," the doctor said sadly. "Ever since Shepard... I can't, Vega. I'm sorry. There's too much pain for me there."

"Sure I can't change your mind?" Vega also looked sad.

Chakwas shook her head. "In most cases, the soldiers I treat are like my children, Vega. I... lost Emma once, then lost her again. That med bay, no... the Normandy holds too many memories for me. Anyway, I thought Kaiden would have told you: I'm here to offer my services to this young lady here."

Rosemary looked up at that. She'd been inching her chair away from the table as discreetly as she could manage; the conversation between Chakwas and Vega had seemed like a personal one. "Sorry?"

"Yes, Ms. Fletcher." The doctor looked to Vega again. "The Normandy will always be my true home, but since I can't go back... I would like to spend the rest of my days active, as near to the Normandy as I can. Bridgeton is the next best thing."

"You sure you don't want to retire, doc," Vega teased.

"The very thought makes me ill," Chakwas said dryly. "Synthesization research has been an invigorating challenge; but the challenge of you, Ms. Fletcher, is irresistible."

Rosemary was starting to get the gist of what the doctor was saying, but to be sure... "Pardon?"

Karin Chakwas faced Rosemary, her fingers linked together as she addressed her seriously, "I've examined your files thoroughly. It simply cannot be any reason to think that you are the only Unique Energy Facilitator in all the galaxy, Ms. Fletcher. No one is that special."

"Thanks?" Chakwas' honesty, still, was reassuring.

"The problem is finding more UEFs... With so many hybrids, Bridgeton simply cannot last much longer without them. I would like to take a post in the Bridgeton Synthesis Research Center to study your condition further."

Rosemary didn't know what to say. Karin Chakwas was renowned in her field; any help she could give would be invaluable. "I..."

"So, if you have no objection..."

"No, no! That would be fine," Rosemary hurried to assure the doctor. "It would be more than fine! Thank you – thank you very much!"

XOXOXOXO

Rosemary was cleaning the second to last table at Wakey Brews – hours after everyone had left – when someone knocked on the doors. "We're closed," she called out, walking over to clean the last table.

The knocks got louder and faster. She did a quick wipe-down of the table and tossed the rag on the counter. "I'm coming, I'm coming..."

She looked through the glass doors to see – Yadai and Alenko. She covered her mouth in horror; even in the low artificial light of the evening, she could see Yadai wearing a bloody bandage over her eye, and several parts of her body burnt and sliced open. She ran, jabbed in the code to disable the alarm, and threw open the doors. "What happened?!"

She helped Alenko bring the wounded asari to the nearest table. She then went back to the door and inputted another code. The glass on the windows tinted, completely obscuring the inner goings-on of Wakey Brews from the street. She went to her kitchen and grabbed the store's first-aid kit from one of the cupboards. She set it on the table and tossed Alenko several packs of medi-gel. Then she typed out a quick, emergency message on her omni-tool.

"I'm sending for Chakwas," she told Alenko. She tried not to let her panic show in her voice and face. She asked the question again, "What happened?"

"I found Saeli," Yadai rasped, her lips pale and cracked. "I got caught."

"Don't speak," Alenko ordered his fellow Spectre firmly. He started to clean one of her more serious-looking wounds: a deep, jagged gash encircling her neck. "T'Garu tortured her personally – took out her eye."

Feeling cold and sick, Rosemary began the careful task of taking off the asari's armor.

"Bitch didn't even get her hands dirty," Yadai sneered. "Scooped out my eye clean with her damn biotics."

"Don't speak," Alenko repeated his order with even more force. He applied medi-gel to her neck wound and nodded when Rosemary managed to pry off Yadai's chest piece, revealing even more grievous wounds. "Is Chakwas coming?"

Rosemary checked her omni-tool and nodded. "She'll be here in five."

Alenko kept working, but continued the tale, "I found Yadai in time; we grabbed some data on the way out. Bau's glanced through most of it."

"And?"

"Yadai found her at one of her safe houses, but Saeli's base is here – on the Citadel."

Rosemary couldn't believe it. "She's been here all along," she whispered.

"I hunted her throughout the damn galaxy – following a fake-ass trail," Yadai hissed, sounding furious with herself.

Rosemary shook her head. That couldn't be right – they would have found her already if she'd been here all along – shouldn't they have? "Where is she?"

The asari Spectre shook her head. "She's in the Silversun Strip. She's under a different name, but she _owns_ the Armax Arsenal Arena."


	33. Ch 33

**CHAPTER 33**

Vega was all for storming the Arena right there and then. Vega, Alenko, Rosemary, Balint, EDI, and Garrus were sharing a large-sized skycar to Bridgeton from Wakey Brews; Chakwas and Yadai had gone in an emergency transport ahead of them. Rosemary had messaged Meeno to alert him of their arrival and to get the clinic prepped.

Vega was furious; when he had first seen Yadai's condition. He hadn't flown off the handle, like Rosemary had very much expected him to, but... it had been close. His body had been in control, but his voice was full of boiling rage, "What are we waiting for, man," He gritted out to Alenko. "Let's go get this bitch – right – _now._ "

Alenko shook his head, his jaw set. He was seething, too, but as always, he tempered his rage with reason. "One – we need more evidence to satisfy the Council."

Vega wouldn't accept that. "Nah, man – you think I give a damn about _them?!_ Did you _see_ Yadai?"

"Two! Most of us have fought in the Arena – the place is _huge_. We're talking a top-tier armory – countless soldiers."

The Normandy's captain hesitated. Rosemary sympathized; Alenko had a valid point there. "And three," she asked Alenko, giving him her full attention.

"And three," Alenko finished, ", the Arena's one of the hottest spots on the Strip. We're talking civilians – how do we get them out of the way with alerting T'Garu to our presence?"

Vega crossed his arms. "Shit," he growled. ", the hell we do we do, then?"

It was a problem. Rosemary looked at the vintage clock on the wall, unseeing – thinking. "So the Arena is Divide headquarters," she thought aloud. "Saeli's smart, though. She's not the type to put all her eggs in one basket."

Garrus frowned. "Eggs?"

EDI cocked her head. "Basket?"

Vega, Alenko, and Rosemary waved their hands. "It's a human saying," Alenko explained. "So what are you saying, Rosemary?"

"I'm saying... Nuni was right. Divide is a hate group at its core... but they branched out to becoming one of the Citadel's top gangs."

Vega shrugged. They all knew this. "So?"

Balint was driving the skycar, but she asked him, "Balint, can you pull over? I need a map of the claimed gang territories."

The C-Sec officer pulled the skycar over just below the first Crucible level and sent Rosemary the file. She brought up the holographic map and projected it on the floor of the skycar. She pointed out the areas of the Citadel shaded in opaque white. "Look. Their territories are scattered – you can't control so many areas from one place."

Vega narrowed his eyes. "You mean..."

"Divide has to have... what do you call them..."

"Outposts," Garrus supplied.

"Right." Rosemary nodded.

"Yeah, so?"

"Attack those outposts – spread Divide forces thin over all of their territories. It'll leave the Arena vulnerable."

Balint shook his head. He'd kept silent until now. "That's a common military tactic; she'll expect something like that."

"No," Rosemary shook her head. "I don't mean attack the outposts with straight-up force. That would be too obvious. I'm talking sabotage – or in this case, maintenance problems. Fluctuating power outages, street construction, infestations... Make them look natural: accidents. Only... apply those 'attacks' over several weeks' time, to divert suspicion."

Vega still looked skeptical. "How would that spread the Divide force thin?"  
"It's won't – but it'd make the outposts vulnerable." Rosemary shifted in her seat. "And should the gangs of the Divide's neighboring territories hear of such vulnerabilities..."

Alenko grinned. "That's... brilliant!"

Rosemary looked up from the map. Everyone was grinning.

"You are devious," Balint said proudly, grinning as he turned back around and returned to driving the skycar.

When the skycar lurched back into movement, Rosemary steadied and re-shifted herself in her seat. Vega shook his head. "And here we thought you were just an extra-efficient secretary/barista."

"Yeah, where'd you learn to think like this," Alenko asked her curiously.

Rosemary blushed. "I read. A lot."

Balint nodded from the driver's seat. "She does – she reads a _lot_ of books. Actual books. With paper."

Everyone looked stunned. Vega was astonished. "Hey, I love to read, too – but _paper_? Who reads on paper?"

Rosemary scowled. "There's nothing wrong with it – just because it's old..."

"Not old, ancient," Vega argued. "It's like wiping your ass with _leaves_ , Rosemary. You're so damn weird."

"Shut up."

XOXOXOXO

Their plan would take time. In the meantime... Rosemary had administrative workings to mull over – for Wakey Brews, C-Sec, and Bridgeton. She was busy.

Nuni had finally managed to get a system working; Rosemary could now operate mostly from the comfort of her Wakey Brews office. A week had passed, and Rosemary was going over the data sent over from the new C-Sec clerics while Oliver hung out with CARD and Keeya in Wakey Brews' play area.

Rosemary glanced over through her window at them talking and playing for what had to be at least the thirteenth time that hour. She couldn't quite believe how... toddler-like CARD's exterior shell was. He was plainly made out of the same material as EDI was, but his expressions... _How the hell did EDI get them so... Joker?_

CARD's face was a baby version of Joker's, down to the goofy, sarcastic line of his smile. Even the little android's micro-expressions were an exact replica of the Normandy pilot's. The result was... impressive, but just a little creepy.

She checked her omni-tool and quickly got up to get the kids drinks. Imitha and Ossuri were working out front; she couldn't expect them to keep tabs on the kids' hydration, too. She grabbed a couple of orange juices from her mini-fridge and walked out of her office.

"You should hang out with us at Bridgeton," Oliver told CARD, catching Rosemary's juice-toss. "The hybrid kids are a lot of fun. At first, though, it was kind of sad. A lot of them are scared, and a lot of them had parents that Divide killed."

Rosemary handed Keeya her juice and shook her head at her brother. "Ollie..."

Keeya's smile was sad, but understanding. "I am fine," she assured Rosemary.

"Still..."

Oliver's smile was also sad. "It's okay, Rosie. I know we're kids, but it's healthy to talk about the stuff that bothers you – just not in excess. You still have to focus on the positive."

Huh. Oliver, Keeya, and CARD returned to their play. Oliver was... impressive. _Has he always been this mature?_ Then she saw him pull Keeya into her lap so he could read her a board book. "What's this," Keeya asked, touching the book with curious fingers.

"It's hard paper – I would read you a story from an omni-tool... You know, like everyone else does – but ROSIE won't get me one," Oliver said loudly, the last bit purely for Rosemary's ears.

Rosemary snorted. "Not until you're thirteen, shrimp."

"Hmph."

Rosemary smiled quietly. No, Oliver hadn't always been this way; she rather thought Keeya had something to do with it. Oliver was protective of Keeya, very much like an older sibling should be. They... really were a family now. And CARD was their quirky, outspoken cousin, she thinks with a quiet chuckle.

Rosemary's fingers ached; they went home after Oliver and Keeya had finished their juices. They had just settled into the living room couches when –

 _BEEP!_

Rosemary stiffened at the sound of multiple guns buzzing to life. Almost a dozen C-Sec officers took their positions in view of the door and behind cover. Rosemary peeked around one of the stone columns to see Tross squint at the door terminal. "Who's there," he demanded, his voice gruff with suspicion.

Rosemary walked over so she could look over his shoulder despite several officers' grunts of protest. She could see why Tross was so on guard; all she could see through the terminal was... a pile of boxes?

"It's me – Imitha," a muffled voice answered from behind the boxes.

Tross relaxed, but only a fraction. "What's in those boxes?"

Rosemary grinned at the sound of Imitha's long-suffering sigh. "Honey and chocolate tartlets with asari honey, durrha and quinate fruit macarons, cream puffs – regular and dextro, Napoleons, kholab balls, croissants, and an opera cake. I was too lazy to make a dextro opera cake – really sorry about that –"

Tross ushered her in. The door had already been opened halfway into her recitation of the treats. Guns were holstered as everyone crowded around the sweet-laden turian. There was something for everyone in those boxes – krogan, turian, human... - Imitha was amazing. Rosemary grabbed the box holding the opera cake, salivating... Oliver and Keeya both grabbed croissants.

Rosemary placed the opera cake reverently on the coffee table.

"What's an opera cake," Balint asked, walking up. He handed Rosemary a knife, plate, and dessert spoon, and took another bite into a dextro-cream puff.

Rosemary gratefully accepted the silverware and plate. She liked that he had given her a spoon instead of a fork; the spoon was, by far, her favorite form of cutlery. She cut herself a slice and at the first taste, moaned. "It's sex in food form," she told Balint, closing her eyes in ecstasy.

Balint's mandibles flared with curiosity. "That good?"

Imitha came over and sat next to Rosemary. "Three layers of coffee syrup-soaked almond cake, with layers of chocolate ganache and espresso-flavored buttercream, and a chocolate glaze topping."

"Ah." Balint sighed. "Coffee... and cake. How can I compete with that?"

"You can't," Imitha said smugly.

"You could have at least made a dextro one," Balint grumbled as Imitha cut herself a slice.

Imitha took a bite and waved her spoon at the C-Sec officer. "We can eat human food now, remember?"

Balint self-control was wavering. "... It's tempting. It's just... it's hardwired into our brains to avoid the alien food, you know? We were highly allergic before; hard to get over that kind of thing."

"Get over it," Imitha said mercilessly. "I didn't let that stop me. Do you know how many culinary opportunities synthesization opened for me? It's been amazing."

"It's coffee," Rosemary teased between mouthfuls. Inwardly, she was smiling. Balint was a coffee convert if she'd ever seen one; he couldn't resist coffee any better than she could.

Balint gave in and allowed Imitha to cut him a slice. When he bit into it, his expression froze. Then he took another bite. Rosemary smiled as she ate the rest of her slice, understanding him completely. Reverent silence was the only appropriate accompaniment to this sheer... deliciousness. When Balint finished his second slice, he pushed his plate away.

Balint cleared his throat. "I have a thought, Rose."

"Hm?"

"This really is sex in food form."

Rosemary grinned. "I know, right?"

Imitha was beaming, but Balint wasn't done yet. "What do you say to saving a slice or two... to bring into the bedroom tonight?"

Rosemary's eyes widened and her skin flushed with excited expectation. "Coffee, cake, _and_ sex? Could we? Oh, that would be..."

Imitha groaned, looking sick to her stomach. "Oh, _gross_!" She pushed away from the table, disgust written on every plate on her face. "Way to ruin my... _Ugh_! You guys!" She shuddered and retreated to the kitchen, hurrying to put distance between her and... _them_.

Smirking, Rosemary bumped fists with Balint. "We are good."

"Yes, we are."


	34. Ch 34

**CHAPTER 34**

The salarian secretary at Oliver's school studiously avoided her gaze when she dropped by two days later to drop off clean clothes for her brother to wear. Oliver met her in one of the empty classrooms, almost completely covered in neon green paint.

"This happened in an Art _Appreciation_ class?" Rosemary groaned as she inspected her brother's green curls and scalp. "Do you have any idea how long this stuff's gonna stay?"

"At least a week," Oliver told her cheerfully.

"Ooh," Rosemary continued to groan. "How... did this happen?"

Her little brother shrugged. "Some local artist came in to do a demonstration. He was touching up this abstract... completely shit sculpture."

"Ollie!"

"Sorry, sis – but it was really bad."

Rosemary tried to look stern. "Then what happened?"

"I bumped into his worktable – and here ya go."

Rosemary sighed and gestured for him to change. He did so, as she turned her back and started bundling up his dirty clothes. "That's not like you, Ollie. You're not the clumsy type."

"I've been... distracted."

"About?"

"I'm done," he announced. Rosemary turned back around and gestured for him to come close again. She inspected his green curls, which were now dry and hard. _That won't do._ She looked around the classroom. Judging by the cabinets and equipment, this was a room designed for students of the culinary persuasion. _Perfect._

"Come over here to the sink, Ollie. We're going to tackle your hair." She started rummaging through the cabinets until she found what she was looking for: a full bottle of shampoo. Her brother obediently sat on a stool and bent his head over the sink.

Rosemary turned the water on and started massaging his curls with her fingertips to soften the paint. Oliver sighed with satisfaction and continued to talk, "I've been worrying about you, Keeya... those kids at Bridgeton. My future..."

She applied a liberal amount of shampoo to his head and massaged it in. "It's a little early to worry about careers," she teased her brother.

Oliver shrugged, letting his sister work. "You know me. I like to plan. It's my thing." A second later, "Well, I guess it's a family trait, Ms. Super-Secretary."

Rosemary snorted. "Ass."

"Yep. No, I mean – I think I know what I want to be."

Rosemary decided to humor him. "Just... stay there, okay? We need to let the shampoo sit. So what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I want to be the next Shepard."

Rosemary sighed. "Yeah, okay."

Oliver sighed back. "No, I'm serious, Rosie."

"It's okay, Ollie," Rosemary said apologetically. "I know she's your idol..."

"No! I mean, yes, she is..." Oliver sounded flustered. "But I've been thinking about it for a while. Ever since we were on the Normandy and talking with CARD... The structured lives the Normandy crew leads... The discipline, the comradery... holds a lot of appeal for me."

Rosemary could sense that Oliver was being very serious right now, but... "Ollie, you're not even a teenager."

Oliver sighed. "I know. Just thought you should know – since it's never too early to get started."

Rosemary suddenly felt wary. "What do you mean by that?"

Her brother hesitated. "I'm going to ask Balint to train me... and any of the Normandy crew when they're docked. Like I said: I want to be the next Shepard. I want to be out there... saving people, kicking butt... making a big-ass mark on the galaxy."

Rosemary suddenly felt... so _proud_. Oliver... was going to make one hell of a man. She startled Oliver as he had his head bent over the sink, his curls sopping wet, when she hugged him. "Oh! That's my boy!"

"Roooosie – I'm trying to be grown up here," Oliver whined.

Rosemary squeezed her brother tight. "Yeah, I'm still going to be hugging you like this when you're fifty."

"Roooosie!"

Rosemary grinned and let go. She squeezed his cheek with wet fingers before she started washing off the shampoo. "Big-sister privilege. I'm... just SO proud of you, Ollie."

Oliver cleared his throat, embarrassed. "So, um... you'll be okay with Balint teaching me how to shoot, right?"

Rosemary didn't answer until she'd fished out a comb from her purse and gently ran it through his curls, removing most of the softened paint. When she was done, his dark brown hair only had a slight green sheen to it; his scalp would stay green for a while, though, like his teacher had said. She kissed him on the cheek when he straightened. "Aw, so cute. No, I'll kill both of you if you even try," Rosemary said cheerfully.

XOXOXOXO

While business appeared normal on the surface, Rosemary was actually keeping up-to-date with the news of the Citadel's underground. After Veracia had approved of her plan (much to everyone's surprise), he had put a team together to scout out all of Divide's outposts. The locations varied in terms of transparency and environs – from the stereotypical 'abandoned' warehouse in the Wards to a set of real estate offices in the Presidium.

Once all five outposts had been located and confirmed, the C-Sec captain had put Nuni in charge of the subsequent operation. The following week had all five outposts experiencing minor power fluctuations; Nuni sent out a squad just the previous day to raid one of their armories. All the while, her team was passing out whispers of Divide weakness to the lowest-ranking goons of the local gangs – confident that it would take little to no time for those whispers to reach the ears of their superiors. At that exact moment, though, Nuni was dealing with a shipment of tuho-legs – invasive, multi-legged insects that had once plagued quarian ships.

"They're allergic to concentrated biotic bursts," Nuni assured Rosemary. "By the time they figure that out, though – they'll make a hell of a mess."

Rosemary eyed the crate containing the pests with not a little revulsion; the insects were emitting a nauseating, slurping, clicking noise through the wooden container. "What do they do?"

"They eat metal," Nuni told her simply.

Rosemary looked at the dead tuho-legs on her desk; it had been treated to a panicked, biotic burst from a freaked-out Ossuri, and sure enough, it had died from the contact. It looked intact, though, and extremely revolting. It looked like a boil the size of an eyeball – covered with boils and with ten spidery legs. She'd seen it when it had gotten excited; its boil-like form had rippled and pulsed in a most _foul_ manner. _UGH._ "WHY did you bring them here again?"

The quarian shrugged. "Aurel didn't want them at C-Sec."

"Aurel?"

"Veracia."

Rosemary wrinkled her nose. "Ew, you call him by his first name?"

Even without seeing her face, Rosemary knew Nuni was rolling her eyes at her. "Get over it, Rosemary. Under all that gruff and misplaced hatred and bigotry... he's one sexy turian."

Even with her turian fetish, Rosemary... just didn't get it. "But he's... _Veracia_."

Again, Nuni shrugged. "Yes, he's racist, but he's just – frustrated at his core. He's not a bad guy."

"Uh-huh." Rosemary had known her captain for too long to believe that. "Anyway, these... _things_ need to go. People EAT here, Nuni."

"Where else can I put them," the quarian sputtered.

"I don't care – they need to go. NOW."

"Fine," Nuni grumbled. "No need to yell..."


	35. Ch 35

**CHAPTER 35**

Doctor Chakwas was fully settled; all the doctors and nurses in the clininc were already dancing to her tune. When Rosemary asked to be directed to her office, the request had been met by suspicion, then alarm when she had given her name.

"Incredulously: Fletcher? With some trepidation: _The_ Rosemary Fletcher? Oh – please come right away," the elcor nurse somehow managed to slowly sputter.

Elcor weren't a particularly nimble race, yet this nurse managed to guide them through a maze of offices, laboratories, and operation rooms with competent efficiency. When they reached Doctor Chakwas' office, which was at the end of a long, and strangely intimidating hallway, the nurse pleaded, "Imploringly: I ask that you do not tell the Doctor Chakwas of the delay... that I inconvenienced you. Desperately: The great doctor can be a demanding, and harsh mistress."

Oliver stared after the elcor as it ambled off. "Is she that bad?" He frowned. "I read all four-hundred pages of _The Ultimate Normandy Fan_ – and not once is she mentioned to be in any way intimidating."

Despite his dubiety, Oliver was surprisingly obedient when upon glancing at him, Doctor Karin Chakwas curtly ordered him to "Take a chair, young man – and be quick about it. Do not let the civilian surroundings fool you; this is my territory, and I have a decidedly militant attitude in running it. Sit up straight and be silent while the grown-ups are talking. I will have no shenanigans."

Rosemary knew that last comment rankled Oliver; in his mind, he too, was a grown-up. But he still sat, and didn't let his outrage show. Her respect for the doctor doubled; this was an impressive woman! Doctor Chakwas bestowed a final severe look to her brother before regarding Keeya, who was hiding behind Rosemary.

"Young lady, you would do well to follow suit. Despite the mysterious nature of your biology, you are _not_ a grown-up."

The toddler hurried to the chair to the right of Oliver. It took some effort, but she managed to scramble into the seat in the end. Rosemary stepped forward.

"Are you settling in well, Doctor Chakwas?"

"Yes, thank you. The accomadations are excellent." The doctor got right to business. She gestured for Rosemary to take the seat next to Oliver. She sat in her own chair, crossed her fingers, and viewed Rosemary seriously. "You and your brother are the only UEFs that we know of, Ms. Fletcher. I honestly don't know why they didn't do this earlier – but thank you, Keeya, for being here."

The doctor sounded genuinely grateful. Startled, Keeya could only nod. "Welcome?"

The doctor pulled up several files on her terminal. "Alright, what the experts _did_ discover is that your abilities have nothing to do with DNA – well, not exactly. You come from sturdy stock, yes, but that's not the answer."

Rosemary frowned and waited for the doctor to continue. Oliver wasn't so patient. "Then what is?"

Doctor Chakwas cleared her throat, somehow intimidating Rosemary's brother into silence once more. "Rosemary – you can absorb more hybrid energies than your brother, and it's not just age-related. Keeya: Are Rosemary and Oliver the only ones you were able to... choose?"

Keeya wrinkled her nose. "Able?"

Rosemary took over. "Were me and Ollie the only ones you could pick, Keeya?"

Keeya shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think so. I feel... sparklies when I'm outside – but I don't go outside much. Mama didn't like me seeing other people, too."

Doctor Chakwas leaned forward, her gaze intense. "What do these... 'sparklies' feel like?  
The hybrid child took a moment to think. "They... feel tingly... in my head."

The doctor straightened. "Those must be the excess energies. Keeya, what did Oliver and Rosemary feel like?"

"The sparklies... get more bright... and more happy... And when I threw them at Rossey and Ollie, their sparklies answered back and took some of my sparklies to live with them. Then their sparklies weren't sad anymore."

The doctor, Rosemary, and Oliver frowned. "Sad," Oliver pressed, confused.

Keeya nodded, suddenly shy at their intense expressions. "Yes...? Your sparklies were... sour. Different from... mine. Dark."

"Anything else," the doctor asked, trying not to sound overly eager, sensing Keeya's nervousness. "What else can you tell us about their... 'sparklies'?"

"They were... lonely, and angry. Sharp."

 _Sharp._ That word struck a subconscious chord with Rosemary. She pressed a hand to her side, to her... old wound. Could it be...? _No..._ "Keeya?" Oliver, Doctor Chakwas, and Keeya looked at her. "Where on my body were the dark sparklies?"  
Keeya pointed right at Rosemary's side. Oliver stiffened. "Rosie?" He sounded afraid.

Rosemary looked at the doctor. "I... was bitten by a husk during the War," she explained to her. "But Oliver wasn't."

Her brother twitched. Rosemary stared. "Ollie?"

Oliver couldn't look at her. "I... was, too."

"WHAT?!" Rosemary exploded, standing up from her chair. "When?!"

Her brother had a guilty, dark expression on his face. He looked at Chakwas. "It was when Rosie was bit. She was getting patched up in some ruined building, and when she was unconscious... I stayed by her side. It... attacked out of nowhere. One minute, I was yawning next to Rosie's cot, the next..."

The doctor's tone was still firm, but gentler this time when she asked, "What was this husk like?"

Oliver shrugged. "I don't like to think about it, but it was gray like all the others... with glowing blue parts, purple eyes, huge..."

Chakwas' eyes widened. "Purple?"

Rosemary gaped. "Huge?"

Oliver eyed Chakwas strangely, but finally looked to his sister to answer, "Yeah, huge. It wasn't all scrawny and creepy like the others. It wasn't giant – but I remember it being pretty brawny."

A memory surfaced for Rosemary then: a painful one. The husk that had pounced on her, and had ripped into her side with its teeth... it had been weirdly large, too. "The one that attacked me was pretty big, too," she told Chakwas. "I don't recall... if it had purple eyes, too."

The human doctor pursed her lips. "Purple eyes... I'll pass that along to the Council. It might mean something."

"Oh, and it had a watch. Always thought that was weird," Oliver mumbled.

They stared at Oliver. A husk... with a watch? That wasn't weird – that was downright _bizarre_ _._ "A _watch_?"

"Yeah... old-like, like you like, Rosie."

Rosemary froze; a sudden chill crackled down her spine. "Red strap? Golden face?"

Oliver frowned. "... Don't remember the strap, but yeah – it had a golden face. Noticed it when it cut my cheek when it attacked."

"Where did the creature bite you," Chakwas asked Oliver sharply.

Oliver hesitated, but lifted up his arm. He pulled back his sleeve to show her a wound, almost identical to Rosemary's, on the underside of his arm.

Rosemary realized... "... So that's why you never wear short-sleeves." She had never questioned it; she had attributed it to being his personal style. She shook her head, reminding herself to focus. "The Alliance marine that saved me... he had a watch like that. It caught my attention when he carried me to the nearest medic."

Chakwas' lips thinned. "Right. I'm going to have to make some calls. We're going to need answers."

XOXOXOXO

To keep herself busy, Rosemary threw herself into the everyday operations of Bridgeton. It was all she could do; waiting for results from Chakwas' contacts was nerve-wracking. On the third day after that fateful visit, Rosemary brought in fresh loaves of bread with Imitha.

The west cafeteria was right in the middle of serving lunch when they arrived. Without missing a beat, Rosemary and Imitha promptly inserted themselves into the work. Imitha began working the stoves alongside the other cooks, while Rosemary replaced trays at the buffet tables with the other servers.

As she worked, Rosemary noticed that everyone was looking much better. When the hybrids and their families had first arrived, they had all looked drawn, haunted... and soul-scarred. Now... they were looking healthier; she could even see a scattering of smiles on a few people's faces.

She didn't want to admit it, but Councilor Eastment had been right after all. Albeit indirectly, she was still making people smile in a comfortable environment – but on a much bigger scale, now. She had been given power, and so far, it was a gladdening thought to know that she seemed to be using it well.

Imitha burst into the kitchen just as Rosemary picked up a stack of freshly cleaned trays. "ROSEMARY!"

Her friend looked absolutely panicked; her mandibles were clicking, and her nose ridges couldn't stop twitching. Rosemary was immediately concerned. "What's wrong, Imitha?"

"Daddy's here! What do I _do_?!" The turian's subharmonics was a keening wail.

Rosemary huffed. _That's it?_ Imitha and her theatrics... Still, she tried to sound concerned/surprised when she said, "Wait... your _dad_ is in the cafeteria? Is he eating?" Her surprise was half-genuine. She'd known Castis Vakarian for nearly two years; Wakey Brews was about as common a place as he'd allow himself to eat. He was the elitist sort, who tended to frequent the higher-ended restaurants whenever he visited Little Palaven. And he was in a _cafeteria?_ Still, she couldn't help but voice her frustration; Imitha really needed to get her dramatic tendencies under control. "Okay, it's your dad. Why are you so panicked? It's not like you haven't met him before."

Imitha didn't hear Rosemary's teasing. "He wants coffee – and one of _my_ pastries!"

Rosemary sighed. "So I'll run out some coffee to him. I know his usual. And give him one of your scones."

Imitha's nose ridges stilled in their twitching. "Scones. You think he'd like scones?"

 _Oh, for..._ "That's what you gave him on Earth, remember? You were passing them off as Wakey Brews' scones, but they were yours. He seemed to like them."

Imitha was already nodding her head, but she was still anxious. "Right. How could I forget? Oh Spirits – I'm so nervous."

Rosemary had never seen Imitha like this; and that was saying something. The very foundation of Imitha's personality was drama. "What's really wrong, Imitha?"

"He's... brought _family_."

"Pardon?"

"He's brought my grandmother, my niece, Uncle Koquem – Rosemary, they're horrible," Imitha told her, wincing.

Rosemary was starting to understand. "How... horrible?"  
"My grandmother's xenophobic, my uncle's a sexist jerk, and my niece is a manipulative little brat."

Rosemary winced now, too. "Oh. _That_ kind of family." She took off her apron. "My poor Immy; I'll go with you."

Imitha looked immensely relieved. "You will?"

Rosemary smiled. "We're best friends. I told you years ago I'd walk through hell with you – and that just what I'm going to do."

Imitha hugged her. "I love you, Rosemary! You're the best!"

Rosemary patted Imitha's carapace affectionately. "I love you too, sweetie. Now let's go meet your demons."

XOXOXOXO

Rosemary was very fond of Castis, Imitha, and Garrus Vakarian, but... lord, oh _lord_ the rest of the family were _dicks_. Imitha had summed up their personalities perfectly.

When Rosemary had approached their table, the elderly Vakarian had outright _hissed_ at her. Judging by the cracked colony markings, which were usually indicative of a turian's age – this was Imitha's grandmother, Castis' mother.

Castis, a distinguished turian, had stood and greeted Rosemary with a warm hug – much to his mother, brother, and great-niece's horror. He introduced them, "This is my brother Koquem, my great-niece Kenndris, and my mother – "

"I'd rather _die_ than hear my name on a _human_ mouth," Grandma Vakarian snarled.

Castis' stormy blue eyes flashed. Even he, who hadn't been very tolerable of humans in the beginning, had at least been polite and conservative with his prejudice. His mother was being downright vulgar.

Imitha quickly placed a tray on the table, a peace offering of her very best scones, fresh and hot from the oven. Castis beamed. "I've been dreaming of these for months – to think it was _my_ daughter who was making them."

Rosemary was glad that Castis sounded proud of Imitha – but he was being open about it... and _friendly_. … Why? Castis took care to treat everyone civilly, but took equal care to being without excessive emotion. Castis Vakarian being openly pleasant and friendly was just... _wrong_. Rosemary preferred the old Castis, whose respect had had to be well-earned. It had made their friendship all the more delightful.

"Rosemary here had a coffee shop on Earth – Wakey Brews. It was a very charming place, with very good coffee."

Castis' brother, Koquem, frowned. "Isn't 'coffee' a human... beverage?"

"It is indeed, brother, but she taught herself to adapt and serve dextro-friendly brews. It's really quite impressive."

"Hmph," was all Koquem said to that.

"Thank you for the drink, Rosemary." Castis accepted the mug from Rosemary, looking very grateful. Rosemary couldn't wipe the frown from her face. _Yeah, this is just weird._

"Sure, Castis," was all she could say. She saw her mistake immediately. The use of his first name made all three of Imitha's distinctly unpleasant relatives bridle with outrage. She tried to change the subject. "It's nice to see you again – but surely Wakey Brews would have made a better venue for a reunion."

Castis sighed. "I agree, but my mother insisted on meeting with Imitha right away upon her arrival."

Grandma Vakarian humphed. "But, of course. I haven't seen the girl in almost five years, Castis!" She focused her hawklike gaze on the 'girl' in question. "Imitha Vakarian – I am ashamed! I understand the military not wanting you – there isn't an athletically competent bone in your body – but to _cook_ for a living?"

"Mother," Castis growled, his warning plain.

Ignoring her son, Grandma Vakarian went on, "You're not even married! You've become an _utterly_ useless individual."

Castis's nose ridges twitched – a sign Rosemary knew was of an impending explosion. The turian had always had an admirable grasp on his temper, but where family was concerned... She'd seen him snap at Imitha on more than one occasion; it hadn't been pretty.

"My daughter," Castis said quietly, a steel tone in his subharmonics. ", runs and owns a successful business on the Citadel – I will not allow you to insult her." The quiet menace underneath his dark tone caused Grandma Vakarian's mandibles to twitch nervously.

Rosemary suppressed a smirk. _Ha._ Even Castis's mother knew to be wary of her own son's anger.

Castis's brother intervened, in placating tones, "I agree; from what I've heard, Wakey Brews has become one of the most popular spots on the Citadel. But... I _am_ concerned, Imitha," he ventured. "Do you have _any_ prospects? You're not getting any younger."

Castis relaxed and nodded, in full agreement with his brother. "He has a point, Imitha."

Imitha didn't like this; from what Imitha had confided to Rosemary over the years, Castis and Koquem rarely agreed on anything! "No, I don't, but..."

"I'll speak plainly, Imitha," Castis began. "We came to talk to you about your future. I am pleased with how much you've matured in so short a time, but now you _must_ think of your future – and the future of the Vakarian line."

"I wouldn't go that far, Castis. You still have Garrus; he's unmarried," Koquem pointed out.

Castis shook his head. "He won't marry. He has made it clear that he doesn't intend to ever marry."

Grandma Vakarian was aghast. " _Surely_ the rumors aren't true: that he had a relationship with _Shepard_."

Rosemary thought things were finally getting interesting. Imitha had dragged her into this family drama, but she couldn't not say _anything_. She wasn't a statue. "It's true," she confirmed. "They were in love with each other."

Grandma Vakarian ignored her. "It's bad enough he slept with a _human_ , but the _villain_ who corrupted life itself? It's because of that _human_ that these freaks even exist," she spat, waving her hand around. The surrounding people bristled; most of the hybrid children paled at the pure derision in her voice. Every single one of the non-hybrids, however – their families – glared daggers at the elderly turian.

Little Kenndris broke the horrified/awkward silence with a snicker, "They _are_ freaky-looking. It's kind of smart, though – putting all the freaks in once place – away from normal people."

"Little brat," a nearby batarian growled. He held a young batarian-asari close – who looked terrified.

Rosemary stood straight. Enough was enough. Everyone had a xenophobic relative or three; but to bring that hatred _here_? She wasn't going to have it. "I think it's best if we move this reunion elsewhere," she told them coldly.

Imitha's niece shrugged and got up. "Thank you. This place smells, anyway."

Grandma Vakarian drew herself up proudly. "Yes, we _should_ leave this place. Human, direct me to the cleanest lavatory, if you please."

Rosemary shook her head. She wasn't some servant the elderly Vakarian could order around. Still, if it got her out of here faster. "I'll take her," she assured Castis, whose nose ridges had started twitching again.

She led Grandma Vakarian to a female restroom just off the cafeteria, past everyone's hostile looks. The turian stared at the line. "Isn't there anywhere else?"

Rosemary didn't look at her. "The private restrooms are upstairs, and solely for personnel use," Rosemary said, keeping her tone neutral.

"Hmph."

After a few minute of waiting, Grandma Vakarian _had_ to speak again. "Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"That you are in a relationship with Balint Fortem?"

I also slept with your nephew, Rosemary wanted to tell her. But she didn't. "Yes, I am."

Grandma Vakarian's voice turned even colder. "I know Fortem. He was my nephew's partner. I liked him; I thought he had more sense. More _pride_."

Rosemary was _really_ getting tired of hearing the female's voice. Still, she kept her ire to herself. "I'm sorry you're disappointed."

"You... opened this... circus of abominations. Have you no shame? Cavorting with other species – it's _sick_."

Rosemary mentally counted to ten. "I'm sorry you think that way."

"No, you're not sorry," Grandma Vakarian challenged. ", and you should be."

Rosemary said nothing.

"You don't deserve to exist – none of you people do," the turian said nastily.

Rosemary grit her teeth and turned. "Excuse m–" A sharp pain sliced through her body – she looked down and saw a _dagger_ sticking out of her chest.

She looked up in disbelief to see Grandma Vakarian's ugly expression – twisted in hate. "Saeli was right about you," she hissed. "You're nothing but a Spiritless _whore_."

Shouts were erupting around them, but Rosemary couldn't really hear them. Her vision was already wavering. "How..."

"She was right," the turian gloated. "Stick you when you're guard's down – by the time your krogan-skin hardens, it'd be too late."

Rosemary couldn't believe what had just happened. "You... bitch."

She heard Imitha's scream and the evil old turian lady was pulled off of her. She stared at the dagger and tried to focus. _Seriously? A stabbing now? When... will it end?_ She grabbed the handle. _Great. Should have... known better than to insert myself... into a family drama. I'm... a goddamn idiot._ She saw Imitha's crying face over her... then... nothing.


	36. Ch 36

**CHAPTER 36**

The room... smelled different. The last few times she'd woken up in... a hospital bed, everything had smelled clean – too clean. Sterile. Not this time. The air still smelled clean... but with the slight undertone of... lilacs?

She flickered into consciousness. She tried to move but her body didn't feel like doing that. _Okay, I guess I'm staying here for a while._ It wouldn't be such a bad thing, after all. The air smelled _great_. She'd always been partial to the scent of coffee, chocolate, and vanilla... but _man_ , lilacs were _amazing_ , too. … It occurred to her that her lilac-obsessed train of thought wasn't normal – to her, at least. _I think... I'm on something. I feel... kinda drugged up._

"How is she?"

That voice sounded familiar. _Garrus?_ She tried to open her eyes... and failed. _Bah, I'll get it next time._

"She's alive – which is saying something."

 _That_ was Doctor Chakwas. It all made sense now. She'd always smelled lilacs around that woman. Lilacs were _fantastic_.

"What do you mean?"

That one was Balint; no question. _Balint..._ Just thinking of his name made her want to smile – but her mouth wouldn't cooperate. _Stupid drugged-up face muscles._

"What I'm saying is that in _one_ year – she's survived being shot at, an attempted decapitation... She barely escaped an exploding skycar – and now, a stabbing. Her medical file reads like a soldier's."

 _It does? Cool. No... not cool. I don't like pain. Pain is like a clingy, hump-everything varren. … 'ssstinks._

"She fights like one, too," Balint said, agreeing with the doctor. "She just fights... differently." His voice all of a sudden, sounded strangely subdued.

Garrus noticed it, too. "Will you be okay, Balint?"

"... I will be. She's alive, isn't she?"

Silence. Then... "I've never seen you like this."

"I've never been like this," Balint laughed mirthlessly. Chakwas coughed, who, like Rosemary, suddenly realized the direction the conversation was going.

Garrus and Balint didn't seem to hear her. Rosemary heard the door to the room slide open, retreating footsteps, and the door sliding closed. Had Chakwas just... left? _Damn it... 'snot fair..._

"... You love her, don't you?"

The room was silent again. Then... "... I think I do."

 _Oooookay, now this is awkward._ This would definitely not be the right time to alert them to her conscious state. But she... was happy. _He loves me?_ The thought sent warmth seeping into her bones. And she realized... _I love him, too._

The tomboyish side of her instantly cringed at the onslaught of the softer, sappy feelings – but she didn't care. _So... this is what love feels like._ She found herself lost in the wonder of it. It wasn't at all how she'd imagined love would be. It wasn't like being struck like lightning or being consumed by a fire-like passion... _Well, the fire-like passion kinda happens when we have sex, but other than that..._ It wasn't an all-consuming experience that she had been led to believe from others' accounts and from what she'd read. Love was... camaraderie, trust, and... the feeling of security and warmth one felt with another. She and Balint were not only lovers, but friends too. _It that what makes this feel so... awesome?_

She heard a pair of footsteps enter the room. A pair? Chakwas and... someone else?

"I'll be available to take calls soon, Wikeps. I need to take Fletcher's vitals."

"Someone else can do that," Wikeps said anxiously.

 _Wikeps... Wikeps..._ Oh! One of the salarian scientists. She sounded excited.

"Doctor Chakwas, we have a visitor."

The doctor sounded more than a little annoyed. "And like I said, I'm in the middle of something."

"Doctor... I think you'll want to meet her."

"Fine," Chakwas grouched. "Both of you – tell me when she wakes," she ordered Garrus and Balint. The room's doors opened and closed again after the doctor and scientist.

Rosemary counted to ten. It was now or never. She shifted, and let out a dull, rattly groan. She opened her eyes and smiled sleepily at the two turians. "Hey..."

Garrus and Balint stilled. Garrus looked to his friend. "... How long do you think she's been awake?"

Balint grinned and shook his head. "Judging by the splotchiness of her face – for a while."

Rosemary's entire body felt warm with embarrassment. She sat up. "How did you know?"

"You're a rotten actor," Balint said plainly.

"He's right," Garrus agreed, his grin unrepentent.

"You two are awful."

XOXOXOXO

A full hour passed before Chakwas came back. Garrus let the two of them alone while Balint brought her up to speed. Rosemary had so many questions.

"What happened to Grandma Vakarian?"  
"Grandma...?" The turian shook his head. "She's been arrested. Her trial starts next week. The Council want this done and forgotten."

Rosemary could understand that; they were all politicans, after all. Politicians had a particular aversion to scandal, unless, of course, it had the potential for influential manipulation. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days." Balint's mandibles flared and set. "She stabbed you literally an _inch_ away from your heart. We're lucky she was old and consequently, her aim was off."

"Yeah... lucky." Even with all that she'd been through the past months, knowing how close she had been to dying... again... was still jarring.

Balint tucked an errant curl behind her ear. "Hey, you're still with us."

Rosemary didn't want to think of how good if felt when he touched her. "And Imitha?"

Balint sighed. "A weeping mess," he said bluntly. "Her father sent her home last night and took a shift by your side. He's..." Balint hesitated.

Rosemary smiled wryly. "It's okay, Balint. He's my friend; he always will be."

Balint nodded. "He's showing indifference, but he is... mortified by his mother's actions. He had no idea Saeli had befriended her – and that she had been engaged by Saeli to take you out."

Rosemary grit her teeth. Her friendship with Saeli was beyond a thing of the past: it was _dust_. _Evil bitch_ , she thought scathingly. Even she didn't know if she was referring to Saeli or Grandma Vakarian. Probably both. "And Castis' brother?" She couldn't quite recall his name...

"He's claiming innocence... but you can never be too sure," Balint said, making a face. "That reminds me... Castis wanted to see you when you woke up. He was glad when he learned you would make a full recovery." After a moment's hesitation, "I... was glad, too. I thought for sure, I would lose you this time."

Rosemary tried to make light of it, but her heart pattered at his words. "Hey, apparently I have nine lives."

"Nine... lives?"

Rosemary waved her hand. "Human saying."

"You and your sayings... You should play to your audience more," Balint chided. "You know – the alien one?"

She startled them both when she drew him down to kiss him on his mouth plates. Balint drew apart and stared at her, looking concerned. "Rose?"

She knew there were tears in her eyes. She didn't give a shit. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?"

"Loving me."

Balint's golden eyes softened. "Rose..."

The moment was abruptly cut short when Chakwas stalked back into the room. Rosemary frowned. "Doctor...?"

"Good, you're up," Doctor Chakwas said curtly, avoiding their gaze. She looked pale, and troubled; her hands were shaking.

Rosemary was immediately worried. What could shake the doctor like this...? "Karin?"

"We have a visitor. This is – you're about to get a visitor. Here. In this room," Doctor Chakwas told them. Rosemary had never seen anyone with such a calm and controlled personality so _rattled_.

"Who is it?"

A tall figure glided into the room with an almost ghostly grace. Rosemary froze with shock. Balint drew Rosemary closer and stared, with complete disbelief. "What in the Spirits is _that_?! Doing _here_?" He was beyond angry; he was confused, and in a state of furious, hostile outrage.

The 'visitor' was a husk. A tall one, with blue-streaked gray skin... and purple eyes. Rosemary couldn't even blink. It was a husk... wearing a sleek black uniform. "The _... shit_ is this?"

XOXOXOXO

"I was given the name Executioner."

 _Okay, that does NOT make me feel better_ , Rosemary thought, still in shock. She had recovered enough to demand an explanation, however. _God, even its voice sounds terrible. Dead, and... well, it's just very dead._

"Who are you? How did you...?"

"He was escorted," Chakwas answered her. "The Council sent him."

 _Oh, so it's a 'him'._ She honestly hadn't able to tell that one. "Why would they...?"

"I have the answers you seek," the husk told her in that strange, cold voice. It almost had the sound of turian subharmonics, but... not. The vocal undertone in a turian's voice accentuated the emotions revealed in one's voice, but the husk's... retracted emotions. She had never heard a colder, more hollow sound before in her life. Her side throbbed; she repressed the urge to touch it. "I would not give them to this human woman until I had seen... you with my own eyes."

"Me?"

"You are the unforeseen byproduct of the husk conversion process. You... intrigue us."

"What...?"

The husk turned to Chakwas. "May I sit?"

From the look in the doctor's eyes, Rosemary could see that Chakwas would rather not let it do any such thing. Rosemary couldn't blame her; he was a talking husk, named Executioner. She would have lived the rest of her life quite happily without seeing another Reaper mutant. Still, this one spoke, and was promising answers. Rosemary spoke for Chakwas, "You may."

The husk sat in the chair at Rosemary's bedside. It took all her self-control not to shudder with revulsion and fear. _I'm going to have that chair burned..._

"As you know, our... what the organics called 'husks' are synthetic-organic creatures created from organic bodies. For millenia, we employed what your kind have named 'dragon's teeth' to convert the organic matter into a synthetic-organic blend. Over time, the body's organs, skin, and water content were converted into cybernetic materials."

"Yes, yes, we know all that," Rosemary said sharply, trying to to snap. She didn't want to hear this; she wanted this... thing to get to the useful bit already.

The husk studied her as she fought the urge to squirm, before continuing, "During the last few months of the War, the process was... reformed... refined, even, and was released by the Reapers attacking Earth."

"What... do you mean 'released'?"

"Your doctor has explained your experience to me. You were bitten by a husk meant for human conversion."

Rosemary felt sick. "What now?"

Chakwas took over, looking sick herself. "What he's saying, Fletcher, is that the husk that attacked you... was one of the husks meant to be walking versions of the Dragon's Teeth. It... managed to convert the Marine that rescued you, and the Marine became..."

Rosemary shook her head, overwhelmed. "Wait, how...?"

Executioner's nod was slow. "Your insides were meant to be devoured and your body, transformed into one more suited to our war efforts."

Rosemary could feel bile rise in her throat. Balint held her, and rubbed her arm. He glared at the husk; Rosemary was starting to shake in his arms. Chakwas shook her head. "My guess is that the husk only managed to infect your with whatever..."

"Yes," Executioner agreed. "But it still managed to damage your insides."

Chakwas' lips pursed. "From what I'm gathering, whatever was injected into you... managed to rewire several of your anatomical structures."

"The process was far from complete," Executioner interjected. "Instead, it appeared to have hollowed out and... prepared several sections of your brain."

Something clicked. "... It... prepared me to receive Keeya's energies." The discovery was staggering.

"A completely unforeseen consequence," Executioner mumbled, more to himself than anyone else.

Doctor Chakwas suddenly looked... ill. With the expression of someone catching the scent of vomit, the doctor looked to the husk. "I know you won't like this, Rosemary... Balint... but I must ask you, Executioner..."

"What is your question?"

"Can you do it again?"


	37. Ch 37

**CHAPTER 37**

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Doctor!"

Balint's eyes were fixed on the doctor. "Can it be done?"

She stared up at him. "Balint?"

Balint looked at her. "Rose," he began, regret in his voice. ", every bed here is filled. The attack on Bridgeton heightened everyone's... stress. There's no other word for it. They're about to explode."

Rosemary covered her mouth in horror. _Oh... no..._

"You can't take in _all_ of the excess energies. And I won't let anyone use your brother, either."

She wasn't going to let that happen, either. She'd die, first.

"... Yes, it can be done," Executioner answered Balint's question. "However, I cannot do it alone. I can generate only so much venom... You will need the aide of my kind."

The humans and turian in the room stiffened. "Husks?" The very thought was horrifying. "On the Citadel?"

Chakwas looked even paler. "I'll... need to ask the Council."

Rosemary couldn't believe this was happening. Executioner nodded. "Make it quick. From what I have seen, your 'hybrids' will not last long. They have, at the most, twenty-four hours."

Doctor Chakwas was already typing out a message on her omni-tool. Balint shook his head. "Your kind... what kind of Reaper are you?"

"We were named Devourers."

XOXOXOXO

"Can I... Can I have my clothes?"

Rosemary rubbed her temples. So... much was running through her head. Husks... God, she hated them! She wanted to call them what she thought they were – abominations – but then she'd be thinking too much like Saeli. Yet... despite _what_ they were... it was because of them that they might be able to handle this catastrophe.

Rosemary managed to pull on her pants and put on her blouse, but Balint had to help her into her jacket. Her chest was burning by the time the deed was done. _Being stabbed isn't as much fun as I thought it'd be_ , she thought bitterly. "Did Chakwas say how much time we have before they...?"

"Anywhere from twelve to twenty-four hours."

"Crap."

"Yeah."

So it was up to Chakwas and the Council to get the... Devourers here in time. _Sheesh, what a name_. But even she had to admit that it was apt. Speaking of... "Where's Executioner?"

Balint insisted she take his arm as he took her to the room next to hers. It was a tiny office, and the Devourer was standing in the shadows of the room, staring blankly at a patch of wall. Straightening, she stepped forward. "I have a question." She hoped to God she had sounded braver than she felt.

The husk slowly nodded his head. "Proceed."

"What are the... requirements for people to become like... like me?"

"And your brother?"

"Yes," she said, her voice turning hard. She didn't like knowing that a husk knew about her brother. "Will they have to be bitten?"

"No – injections will do. From what I understood of the files your doctor provided me – the process will require the recepients of the venom to be of robust derivation."

Robust... Ah. 'Sturdy stock'. _Gotcha._ She nodded, and turned around to leave. Balint didn't move. He stared at the husk, his expression steely. "Balint?"

"Why?"

Balint didn't have to say anything beyond that one word; the husk understood. Executioner leaned against the wall and its expression... changed. All of a sudden, it looked... tired. Almost... emotionally tired. Rosemary was stunned to silence; husks couldn't have emotions... could they?

"Did you think that the Synthesization failed to affect our kind? That it failed... to affect the Reapers themselves?" Executioner's voice was soft.

Balint frowned. "But you were already composed of synthetic-organic materials. I didn't think it would have affected you."

"The Synthesization affected us in ways we did not expect. Mostly, it affected our minds. For the mutations such as ourselves... our memories of who we _were –_ were forever gone. During the War, we functioned on madness itself, in all its purity. The Synthesization... cleared that madness, and we were left empty. The Reapers themselves felt the same hollowness. What was our purpose now?"

She was almost afraid to ask. "Did you find your answer to that?"

"We have no purpose. We have no drive. We simply exist."

No one knew what had happened to the Reapers once they had rebuilt most of the galaxy and retreated to dark space. There had been no word... and frankly, not many had wanted to know. Many wanted to put the nightmare behind them, Rosemary included. Balint asked the question, "What is the future of the Reapers?"

"We have none."

Rosemary hadn't expected _that_. "What do you mean?"

"We exist... without seeing a reason to do so. Without the madness, we feel nothing. We are nothing. The Reapers have given us all missions, and once they are done, we will self-terminate."

Rosemary's eyes widened. They would just... end themselves? Despite her hate and fear of the Reapers, she couldn't help but feel... bad for what they were doing. Or what they were going to do. "How much time do you have," Balint asked.

"Once this business of distributing our venom is concluded, my life will also reach its conclusion. Your hybrids will have their counter-parts, and life in this galaxy will continue its evolution."

Rosemary shook her head. She admitted to herself that it was okay to feel bad for the Reapers; life was life, after all. But... "I have one more question."

"Proceed."

"Is everything... is all this... genetic?" Would the hybrids' condition be passed from parent to child? Would the condition of the UEFs be passed down, too? It was the question that had been burning in the back of her mind for some time; this may be the only time she would get the answer.

"Yes."

Rosemary drew in a sharp breath. Yes. That was the answer. So the hybrids would continue to evolve... and the UEFs...

Executioner misread her dismay. "You are all very fortunate. No matter how the hybrids continue to develop, as long as there are receptors for the excess energies, there is hope."

Yes, that was a very good thing, for everyone's futures. But the thought of how it would effect her, personally, made her ill. This meant that the children she and Oliver may or may not have in the future, would carry traces of husk technology... of the Reapers, in their very genes, forever. Her hands suddenly felt clammy. _I hate this._ The fear, the hate, the worry, the endless responsibilities. But she had people depending on her. How long would it be, though, before she collapsed in a fit of nerves and agony? She hadn't been born or trained for this mess; she leaned back against Balint and took comfort in his strength and warmth. She didn't have a choice; she had to _endure_.

XOXOXOXO

Seeing every bed in the clinic occupied by a crying, writhing child tore Rosemary's heart out. The looks of suffering on the children's loved ones cracked her soul. By the time she got the message from Doctor Chakwas saying that the Council had agreed to allow the husks, the Devourers, on the Citadel – solely for the purpose of saving the children – she fully agreed with their agreement. God, she hated husks. By the gods, she _loathed_ Reapers. But Executioner's story had wavered that... pure hate. And to save the children... _God, they're toddlers... and infants! They can't even..._

She could _taste_ the fear and panic in the air, enhanced by her damned krogan-like sensibilities. It took all her self-control not to throw up in the middle of her work.

Hours later, when the Reaper troop transport docked at the Normandy's port, Rosemary was ready to tear her hair out. The seizures were coming in waves. Everywhere, energies were viciously pulsing, reading to rip free from their vessels.

She was holding a toddler, who had a painful grip on her hair and was sobbing into her neck. His tears were glowing a fierce, purple light. "Shh... It's going to be okay." She was trying her damndest to hold back her own tears. "It's going to be okay..."

Minutes later, the most terrifying sight walked through the clinic doors. Husks. Hundreds of them. Shouts ERUPTED all around them. Picking up the toddler, she went to the nearest terminal to access the clinic-wide intercom.

"QUIET!"

The shouts stopped. The Devourers, however, didn't even slow their stride. They continued to walk through the clinic, headed toward the room Executioner was in, in one of the back rooms. They didn't look anywhere but ahead.

Rosemary took a breath. Breathed out. "They're... they're here to help. Everyone... Everyone just calm down. It's... going to be okay."

Everything _was_ going to be okay, Rosemary thought furiously. She was going to _make_ everything okay, goddamnit!


	38. Ch 38

**CHAPTER 38**

Rosemary was finally able to breathe a little past the midnight hour. Chakwas and a fleet of medical personnel had successfully extracted the venom from the Devourers and had injected the 'volunteers' – the strongest and healthiest of the hybrids' friends and families – with it.

Doctor Chakwas has started the procedures at a snail's pace at the beginning – the procedure itself was wholly untested – to gauge the effects it would have on the volunteers. But so far... everything was going good.

Rosemary clenched her shaking fingers. She'd taken in all of Keeya's excess energies and those of some of the other krogan hybrids. Just to be on the safe side, Chakwas had assigned her to those who had the energies her body already had familiarity with.

"You're shaking," Oliver said, voicing his concern.

Rosemary drew him closer to her on their couch. They were both at home – recovering. Doctor Chakwas had forbidden Oliver to absorb anything from anyone – but Oliver had been... Oliver.

"You're shaking too," she countered. And he was.

"Yeah, well." There was nothing he could say to that. His shoulders were trembling, too. He hiccupped and she saw his eyes flash purple in his reflection on the coffee table.

"Ollie?"

Oliver cleared his throat. He tried to shrug – pass it off as nothing. "Uh, well... Some of the energy I took in was biotic."

"Ollie..."

"I'll be fine."

Not trusting him an iota, she tried to tap out a message to the doctor. It was hard; her fingers were just shaking too much.

Balint came up from behind them and took her fingers, placing them back on her coffee mug. "I'll tell her."

"Th-thanks." Were her teeth chattering too? _Gods, even my gums feel bruised._

"You two – just rest," Balint ordered them, sending the message to Chakwas from his omni-tool. "You did good tonight."

Rosemary shrugged. "Keeya...where's Keeya?"

Balint looked concerned. "Rose... she's right there. She's been there for a while."

Right... where? Rosemary looked down, and there she was. Curled up in Rosemary's lap. _Huh. I am really, really out of it._ "I'm feeling better now... thank you."

Balint didn't look convinced. But she really was feeling better. She remembered, now, staying up until both Oliver and Keeya had fallen asleep. She was sitting on the couch opposite the crackling fireplace, sipping iced mocha. Balint sat down on her other side, and she leaned into him... and in doing so, finally feeling a sense of peace.

Balint gestured to her drink. "Isn't that designed to keep you up?"

Rosemary smiled contentedly. "Eh. Most people drink stuff like wine to relax... but you know coffee's my vice." She ran her hand lightly across Keeya's crest, then through Oliver's curls, smiling softly. They were now both asleep again. She sighed. "Balint, I feel... old."

Balint didn't disagree, much to her ego's slight disappointment. "You've been working your days away. You get up, go to work, come home, and keep on working."

"Yeah..."

"We haven't had sex in weeks."

Rosemary groaned. "I know, right? Mind hasn't been in the right place."

"Yeah..."

Rosemary scowled. "But I'm not waiting until after we get Saeli to get some. Some pre-battle action will be in order."

Balint grinned. "I knew I liked you for a reason," he drawled.

"Shush," she said, smiling.

XOXOXOXO

Days later, all the excess energy had been siphoned from the hybrids, and all the new Unique Energy Facilitators were starting to get feeling back in their extremities. From experience, Rosemary knew that it would take time for them to get used to their new abilities, but she had faith that they would be able to deal with it. _If I could do it, hey – anyone can._

Rosemary _needed_ to relax her mind. Her brain felt... foggy... and filled with a dull, insistent buzzing. Yadai wasn't helping.

Yadai had offered to take over Rosemary-watch for the next few hours, and apparently, that duty required substantial sustenance of processed foods and sugary, carbonated drinks. Yadai reclined on the couch like a queen on a throne of empty bottles and sticky wrappers, much too much at ease in somebody else's home. "This place is great," she told Rosemary, picking at a piece of pastry stuck in her back teeth. "... all this wood... stone. Feels raw. Primitive."

"It feels more cozy to me," Rosemary mumbled, reaching under the coffee table for one of the more evasive sweets wrappers.

"Yeah... I bet it would feel cozy... right after making a good, clean kill."

Rosemary looked up. "You're joking, right?" No, this was Yadai; Yadai was very obvious, very bad with her jokes. She sounded serious.

"Nah. I _love_ the primitive feels I'm getting. Sex must be awesome here – especially on this stone table! It's hella sturdy!"

Rosemary's cheeks flushed red. "Yadai..."

"Yeah?"

Rosemary cleared her throat. They were surrounded by at least half a dozen C-Sec officers at the moment – who weren't trying very hard to pretend not to be listening to their conversation. She appreciated the weak pretense, though – it meant they cared, a little, at least. "This isn't exactly a private area – _and_ my children hang out here."

Yadai made a face. "Eh... Yeah, I guess there's that."

The Spectre spent the next few minutes devouring a box of cookies. Once Rosemary had finished cleaning up after her friend's mess, she sat on the couch next to her. "Yadai... Where do you see us in a few months?"

"Sorry, sweets, but I have a distinct preference for the male gender of your species. And don't you have Balint?"

Rosemary rolled her eyes and play-punched Yadai on the shoulder. "I mean – will we still be fighting Saeli? The Divide? Will we still be... fighting?"

Yadai shrugged and leaned back. "Well, yeah."

Rosemary sighed, depression swamping her heart. She didn't know if she could last much longer. Her responsibilities and worries stuck her brain like dusty, rooted burrs.

The Spectre absently flicked a crumb off of her leg armor. "Hate lasts... a _long_ time. Well, it does for asari anyway. Hell, look at the krogan. We live a long-ass time."

"Yeah," Rosemary laughed mirthlessly.

"Divide is a new hate, but we all know it's one that's going to last for a good, long while – what with this Synthesis shit all up in everyone's ass."

That was one way of putting it. "You... make a fair point."

Yadai sipped her latest bottle of liquid sugar before continuing, ", but you have to keep fighting it." Her voice had a soft note to it that caught Rosemary's attention.

"Yadai?"

"You think that's how I live my life?" Yadai's expression was bittersweet. "I'm a Spectre. I handle business for the Council, but the truth? I kill for my damn living. I'm good at it, yeah, and there's something satisfying hearing the crunch of bone when I slam some skumbag against a wall... the spray of glistening red when my blade cuts into skin..."

Rosemary felt a bit ill, hearing that. She hadn't liked hurting people when she'd had to, but Yadai was obviously a different beast.

"I like my job, but it's... a job. I've been doing this one for a long time. Things get tedious. The sins of my prey start to cling after a while. I... used to live for the kill... but now? What I'm living for now gets me higher than bloodshed ever did."

"Oh?"

Yadai shrugged, her smile soft. "I finish a hunt, come home, hang out with friends, sex the hell out of a stranger or three, and enjoy the off-time – nurturing the softer sides of my personality."

Rosemary hadn't expected _that_. There was a soft side? "What do you do?"

Yadai hesitated. "I, uh... breed and train varren."

"Say what now?"

Rosemary couldn't believe what she was hearing. Varren were... very dangerous creatures. Originally from Tuchanka, they were scavengers, and pack hunters. They were vicious as hell and bred like rabbits... or so she'd read. Then she took a minute to turn that over in her mind. _Yeah, okay._ Knowing Yadai, varren kind of... suited her.

Yadai cleared her throat. "I have a small stud ranch on Bekenstein. As you may know, varren are already bred for battle, for war, but I'm working on a more... domestic line. I'm training them to guard buildings, homes, and particular individuals."

"You're kidding." Yadai bred and trained what were essentially krogan guard dogs? Curiosity had her asking, "Any luck?"

The Spectre shrugged. "Eh, time will tell. I've got three varren cubs at my apartment in the Wards. So far, so good."

"Okay..."

"Gotta work on their territory-marking, though," Yadai muttered, grimacing. "My furniture's starting to smell like the privacy stalls in a sex-toy store."

"Oh... god." Rosemary shuddered.

"Yeah..."

Then it hit her. She started grinning. "So in your spare time... you cuddle puppies?"

Yadai flashed her a very rude hand gesture. "Up your ass, Rosemary."

XOXOXOXO

Rosemary thought about her conversation with Yadai for a while. Yadai... was right. She shouldn't think of her... work... as all her life was going to be. All it was. She had her kids, Balint, her friends, Wakey Brews... she had a lot to live for. To smile for.

She placed a stepstool in front of the tallest shelf unit in the pantry. Why did she have the powdered chocolate put so high up...? On the tallest shelf of the tallest unit, even? _Okay, maybe I should have invested in an actual ladder._ Maybe one of those automatic graduating ones... but no. _I'll say it: I'm cheap. This is my own fault; my cheapness has bit me in the ass!_ Grumbling, she reasoned to herself that she hadn't needed one, initially... Imitha and Haka were both taller than her, and could easily reach the high containers... but they weren't in yet. _Ah, jeez..._

The shelves were staggered slightly, so maybe she could... _Ah, what the hell._ She climbed up onto a shelf. She wiggled; it seemed sturdy. She carefully climbed up another level. This shelf didn't seem... so sturdy... _Maybe I shouldn't push my luck... but I'm so close!_ Her fingertips grazed the coveted container. She paused when she suddenly heard voices outside the pantry.

"Ryn, we shouldn't," Imitha moaned.

Rosemary froze. _Oh,god..._ Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself hiding behind the sacks of sugar on the third shelf. _Thank coffee these shelves run deep..._

"Ryn, Rosemary could walk in anytime..."

Ryn? _Who's Ryn?_

Rosemary held her breath when Imitha's... friend... growled lustfully. "I need you now, Imitha. You've been such a damn tease..."

Rosemary's jaw dropped. She knew that growl, that voice! It was turian – and not just any turian. Imitha was hooking up with Rosemary's co-worker, Rynak Imperatus!

Imitha gasped, a hitched purr in her undertone.

 _Oh, lord, nooo... Please don't stay here. Please don't stay here. You have an office,_ Rosemary inwardly screamed.

"Oh... _oh!_ "

Rosemary wanted to die. _Oh, just kill me now... Maybe this time, it'll take._

XOXOXOXO

WARNING! VERY, VERY BRIEF LEMON-SCENTED AIR AHEAD!


	39. Ch 39

**CHAPTER 39**

 _Kill me now... Kill me now..._

"Your clothes have too many... what are these things," Rynak growled.

"Buttons. Vintage is in," Imitha said breathlessly.

"You're so beautiful."

 _Aw._ This would be romantic, Rosemary thought, if she wasn't in the room. No, she had to be hiding, terrified of discovery, behind not-nearly-large-enough sacks of sugar! She was about to hear her _best friend_ have sex! _Ew, ew, ew, ew, EW!_

"IMITHA," Haka bellowed from the front.

"Shit!"  
Rosemary heard the unmistakeable sound of turians scrambling to pull their clothes back on. _Oh, I love you Haka. I love you so, so much!_

"Quick, back out the door," Imitha hissed. "I can't let her see me – us – like this!"

"She already knows," Rynak sighed, but let Imitha drag him out the door anyway.

The large krogan stopped right in front of where Rosemary was hiding. "They're gone now," she told her boss gruffly.

"You smelled them," Rosemary said incredulously, crawling out from her hiding place.

The krogan female grunted. "She thinks she's keeping this big secret. Rynak keeps reminding her of our... krogan advantage – but, and I quote, 'no one can smell _that_ good'. We can, and believe me, it has its disadvantages."

"That's incredible."

"Lucky you can turn yours off," Haka grumbled. "They stunk. But it's a smell I've gotten used to. Then I smelled you – or rather, your fear."

"Try horror," Rosemary said dryly, brushing sugar off her pants. "Again, I'm _so_ grateful."

"Grateful enough for a raise?"

Rosemary shook her head, smiling. "Haka – you've only been here a few months!"

"And I have yet to soil any area of this shop with sexual congress," Haka pointed out, somewhat imperiously.

Rosemary felt ill again. _No..._ "Imitha's been...?"

"Oh, yes."

"Oh, gods... For how long?"

Haka shrugged. "A month now, I believe. Do not worry; I have made it clear that they would not have their 'business' any space customers might occupy."

So Imitha knew that Haka knew... "Oh, good. Wait... but back here...?"

"I've let her do as she wills. She is the owner, after all," Haka reminded her.

Rosemary covered her face with her hands again. "Oh, no..."

"Fret not. I've stressed the importance of cleanliness," Haka said, patting Rosemary's shoulder. "Every area has been disinfected and generally santitized after every love session."

Rosemary scowled at her employee. "You're torturing me, aren't you?"

The krogan grinned, completely unabashed. "Yes, I am. You amuse me."

Was she supposed to feel honored by that, Rosemary wondered grouchily. But, then... "So... you were just joking... about everything?" _Hope!_

"No. I do not often jest. I merely ensure that the truth emits maximum hilarity for my entertainment," Haka informed her, her expression perfectly serious.

"You are a jerk."

Haka's grin came back at that. "And I don't deny that."

XOXOXOXO

Bridgeton was... changed. For the better, though, almost everyone expressed. With the excess energies gone, the hybrid children were enjoying simply being... children. And their guardians no longer exuded an air of helplessness and frustration. With their new abilities, they were more confident in the protection of these... happier children.

Still, Rosemary wanted to make sure everything was still going fine. "Everything's fine," Chakwas snapped, trying to wave her away. "Stop hovering!"

She couldn't help it. "No side effects?"

"Nothing but increased appetites. They're absorbing energies better than you, actually."

Rosemary could only feel relief at hearing that. "How is that possible?"  
"I asked Executioner, and it seems that they refined the venom for this very purpose."

The note in the doctor's voice was... strange. Rosemary frowned. "You sound... admiring of them."

Chakwas paused, and turned off her omni-tool. "... Make no mistake. My fear of the creatures run deep. I don't know if you recall from your brother's... interest in our tale, but we... the Normandy crew... were taken by the Collectors. I saw... people dissolve in front of my eyes... screaming..." The doctor was pale as the memory overtook her. "It is a nightmare that I will live with to the end of my days. But... my fear of the Reapers and their creatures overwhelms my hate. It... opened my mind... to pity."

Pity? For the Reapers? "What? Why... how?" She was confused.

"Executioner is gone."

Again, Rosemary felt relief, but this time – it was enough to weaken her knees. She sat in one of the chairs opposite Chakwas, suddenly feeling exhausted as tension left her body. "Oh... That's good. That's... good."

Chakwas smiled, but it was wry. "I'm right there with you," she sympathized. "Before it left, I asked about the refined venom. They reall did alter it to fit this purpose. The Devourers all left last night, but before they did – they ensured that were left with ample reserves of the stuff... and that it could be duplicated."

Rosemary shook her head in disbelief. "Really?"

"It's a difficult process, but it can be done."

"Why... would they do that? … Guilt?"

Doctor Chakwas shook her head. "No... I don't think so. They... They have no purpose, Rosemary. No... drive to live. No purpose, no mission... All of their 'memories' are of pain, inflicted and born."

Remembering the blankness of Executioner's tone and expression, Rosemary shook her head. "I... can't imagine that." But... pity? Like so many people, Rosemary bore the physical and emotional scars of the war to this day. Maybe she didn't hate them anymore, but... _To pity those... things – one thing's for certain. Chakwas is a better person that I could ever be._

"Me neither," Chakwas murmured in agreement. "Executioner... thanked me for allowing it and its kind to finish their final mission."

Rosemary lifted her head, startled. "'Final'?"

"They are returning to dark space... to die. They see no need to continue their existence."

Shocked, Rosemary could only stutter, "Th-that's..."

"I know."

Rosemary didn't know how to feel. Executioner had told her as much, but it hadn't really registered. Shock, maybe. She... wasn't happy about it, but not... sad, either. To say she felt nothing at hearing this would be false, too. "How... do you feel about that," she asked the doctor.

"There isn't a name to this feeling, I think," Chakwas said softly. "But it makes me grateful."

"For?"

"Living. I've had a good life." Chakwas was standing straight, her chin high – but her eyes were bright with unshed feeling. "I've shared my time in this galaxy with good people."

Rosemary turned to leave the doctor's office, to give the doctor time alone with her memories.

"Rosemary?"

"Yes, doctor?"

"Would you like to have a drink?"

Rosemary smiled. "It would be an honor."

"Glasses are in the top right cupboard. I'll get the drink."

Rosemary's smile broadened as Chakwas pulled a slim bottle from the bottom drawer of her desk. "Serrice Ice Brandy?"

The doctor looked surprised. "Yes, how did you know?" Then she grimaced. "Don't tell me: your brother."

Rosemary laughed. "Got it in one."

Chakwas shook her head as she poured their drinks. "It's only cute now. If he was any older than he is now... his obsession might disturb me. He's a good kid, though. How does he feel about pursuing a medical career?"

Rosemary shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, but he's got his sights set on a Shepard-like military career."

"Aren't they all," Chakwas grunted. "And Keeya?"

Rosemary laughed. "Doctor, she's not even five!"

"Call me Karin. And you've got to get them while they're young. Brand loyalty... it's a real thing, you know."

Rosemary shook her head, laughing, and clinked glasses with the doctor. "What should we toast to?"

"Like I need an excuse to drink," Chakwas scoffed. Then she raised her glass. "To Shepard – and life. May we live it long, well, and drunkenly!"

"Well said," Rosemary approved.


	40. Ch 40

**CHAPTER 40**

This was it.

Her heart in her throat, Rosemary watched Balint's progress through the lower levels of the Armax Arsenal Arena – the heart of the Divide headquarters. The reception wasn't the best, but through his visor, she saw what she needed to see.

She still couldn't believe the time had finally come. Weeks had seemed like years, waiting for the results of the sabotage. Through subtle, but reliable channels, whispers had spurred the rival gangs to action. Stirred from disquieted dormancy, the fight for territory had begun once more. And.. she was stuck in Wakey Brews, once again utterly useless, watching all the action through a terminal while her boyfriend and friend with once-upon-a-spaceship-time benefits risk their lives to hunt down the villain. Villainess. _Whatever._

A few guards had been dispatched upon entering the belly of the Divide beast, but so far... that had been it. Had her plan worked that well? Had Saeli directed all her forces to combat the territorial threat...? _No._ This wasn't right. Saeli was smarter than that; then what was her plan? _What's really going on here?_

Balint and Garrus were leading separate squads, and so far, they were encountering minimal resistance. Something was very wrong. Weakened by the gang attacks and their resources sabotaged, Divide wasn't putting much of a fight – but this was so easy, it was ridiculous.

Rosemary hadn't touched her coffee, and Haka had prepared it just right. She forced herself to let out the breath she'd been holding. She wiped clammy hands on her pants, feeling dread rise up in her like a fast-acting poison. This had to be a distraction. Divide would have been weakened by their efforts, not completely wiped out...! Then were was Saeli? Where was her army?

"I gave you a chance, and you blew it."

Rosemary froze. That voice. _Saeli._

Slowly, Rosemary looked up from her terminal. Saeli was right there – standing in her office. Fully armored, but armed only with a pistol, her old friend regarded her, utter loathing in her eyes. Unlike her white-armored guard, she wore a set of deep purple, her crest proudly gleaming on its chest-piece. Just outside her office were half-a-dozen Divide members, silently pointing their guns in her direction. Well, all but one. Her eyes darted towards the front, where she could see one of them keeping Haka at bay with a shotgun. Haka snarled at her captor, seething.

Rosemary's mind raced; all she had to do was give Haka the opportunity to move. But how many could the krogan take down all by herself? Rosemary would have to deal with Saeli; could she get her krogan skin up before Saeli shot a bullet through her head? The answer was... no. _Shit._ She could do nothing but wince when Saeli stepped forward and struck her head with the butt of her pistol. _God-damn it._

XOXOXOXO

Rosemary awoke to the sight of Saeli sitting behind her desk, and herself tied to one of her chairs. She looked around slowly. They were alone. Well, kind of. Three of Saeli's soldiers were unconscious, in a pile in the main room. Chairs and tables were broken and scattered all over the place... and shotgun blasts marked the entrance to the secret room.

Saeli saw where Rosemary was looking and smiled mirthlessly. "It's what it looks like. Your employee didn't take too kindly to you going down. Somehow, she took out a few of my people and got to your secret little room. She's quicker, and more skilled than my investigation into her background indicated."

Rosemary hadn't known about that, and she hadn't known that Haka had known about the secret room. She really should give that krogan a raise.

Rosemary licked her lips. "If she's in there..."

"She brought your army to your door," Saeli confirmed, sounding unconcerned. Pointing her pistol at Rosemary's heart, she leaned back in the chair. "We have five, ten minutes tops before your knights break through my soldiers. I don't need five minutes to kill you, dear."

Saeli's voice was cold. Rosemary's expression was equally frosty. "You know Balint, Saeli. He won't let you leave this room alive. And Garrus won't stop him."

Saeli's smile was of pure ice. "Do you think that frightens me?"

"No." Rosemary regarded her, her chin up. "I'm not afraid of dying, Saeli. If you're going to do it – do it. And do us both a favor, and leave the villainess monologue out of it."

The asari smirked. "You never did like those parts in the novels you read."

"It's an egotistical waste of time and ink," Rosemary agreed. "And gloating doesn't suit you."

Saeli leaned forward. "Why aren't you afraid of dying, Rosemary?"

That was a good question. Rosemary's heart beat hard in her chest; but she had spoke truly. Her mind was unnervingly calm. "Because everyone I care about... will be fine. Oliver has grown strong, and he has protectors. He, in turn, will protect Keeya. Bridgeton also has its protectors... and there are more with my abilities now. There are others, and others can be made, to protect the hybrids. C-Sec has Nuni, and so many good officers. They have always been fine. I just provided them organization."

"And your precious Wakey Brews?" There was a hard not to Saeli's sneer.

"As you saw yourself, Haka can handle more than you can think. Wakey Brews isn't even mine; it's Imitha's, and she's grown into her role. With Imitha, Haka, and Ossuri – this shop will be around for a long time."

"And Garrus? And Balint?"

 _Balint..._ Thinking about that turian beat a crack into the ice newly erected around her heart. Rosemary licked her lips. "They'll be fine, too."

Sensing vulnerability, Saeli slowly stood. "Garrus will be, yes. Losing you will hurt him, but it's a hurt he's familiar with. Balint, on the other hand..."

"Leave him out of this," Rosemary snarled.

Saeli shook her head. "Love has always blinded you, Rosemary. Losing your mother, and essentially, your father, had you handing me your complete trust in a matter of days. You put your _brother_ into my tender care, not knowing a thing about me."

The truth of it stung. Rosemary knew she had been an idiot, and that there was truth in what Saeli was saying. But... she had grown. The mistakes she'd made in the past had only made her more cautious.

Saeli now sat a foot away from Rosemary, on the edge of the desk. "I underestimated you, Rosemary. Because of you, the hybrids sit behind their little wall, protected. Because of you, Divide will just be another street gang, weakened and scrambling for territory. But it will survive. You only killed one of my successors, Rosemary. And they will tear down all that you have built. … Goodbye, Rosemary."

 _BAM!_

Rosemary smiled as the bullet clattered to the floor. Saeli's eyes widened. She stared at Rosemary, disbelieving. "What...? No... that bullet's _made_ to go through krogan plates!"

Rosemary tore her arms free and stood. "That may be... but it was nothing a biotic shield couldn't handle."

The asari shook her head. "No – I saw Chakwas' files! Your abilites can only absorb krogan energies!"

"Not true. I can absorb asari energies – they just don't sit well with me. I still had a bead of it from the last time I took some in. I couldn't get rid of it; it sat under my skin like a painful, diabolic pimple. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make a biotic shield the size of a cupcake. And that's all I needed." Rosemary couldn't stop it; a grin spread across her face at a sudden thought. "Blissful beans! _I_ was doing a _hero's_ monologue. And it worked!" It had given her the time she'd needed to focus and form the troublesome little shield; biotic energies had been unexpectedly jumpy and tricky mess to manipulate. But she had to stop gloating; this was how assured victories were always upset. … In books, anyway.

The expression on Saeli's face was one Rosemary had never seen before. Shock. Rage. Disbelief. … Relief? They were all there on the asari's face. "You realize that pistols in this day and age hold more than one shot," Saeli said calmly.

The asari cursed as her pistol snapped out of her grasp, crackling. Saeli whirled around to see a familiar quarian pointing a shotgun at her head. "It's over, T'Garu."

Rosemary didn't feel like gloating anymore; the hate in Saeli's face dampened any flush of victory she should have had. But Nuni was right. It was over. _It's finally over._

XOXOXOXO

WARNING: FINAL LEMON AHEAD!

LEMMMOOOONNN


	41. Ch 41

**CHAPTER 41**

WARNING: LEMON AHEAD! BEWARE!

XOXOXOXO

Dear Rosemary,

If you're reading this, then our battle has come to an unexpected end. I'll be honest: I don't think you'll ever get the chance to read this letter. You see – I'm going to kill you.

I've constantly underestimated you. You were a single, un-trained human girl with slightly above-average organizational skills. So you managed to make skilled, trained friends, and got a little superpower, but at your core – you are weak. You were just clever enough, however, to pit the other gangs against my Divide, and for that you must pay.

But I haven't this long to be ruled by overconfidence. In the slim chance that you get the the better of me, you will have earned the truth.

I loved you, Rosemary, like a daughter. I loved Oliver, too. I pitied your father, but I killed him for you. Yes, I despised that man – for years, you took care of his useless flesh. I know how much he hurt your heart, and his weakness had been catching. I killed him to make you strong. If you truly have beat me, then killing him would have been my mistake. I wanted you to spread your wings and _thrive_. But then you wanted revenge; that made things complicated. You were a reasonable woman; obviously, I erred in thinking you could move on from your father's death without significant fuss.

Then there was Balint. I humored and treated your turian fascination like any mother would her daughter's teenage obsession. It was supposed to be a hormone-driven phase. But again, I underestimated you. I liked Balint. I loved you. I never expected whatever attraction you two felt to... endure. What it is, is unnatural; it is a poison. Killing you is a kindness in itself. You must die before yet another abomination is created.

But I digress. I am starting to view the act of me writing this letter as what it is: a joke. I will be killing you tomorrow. But for whatever it's worth, Rosemary... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you, but that will not stay my hand. For your own good, and for the good of all life, you must die.

Regretfully deceased,

Saeli

XOXOXOXO

Rosemary hesitated only a second before deleting Saeli's final message on her omni-tool. She'd received it three weeks ago, mere hours after Saeli had been arrested and thrown into a cell. Saeli T'Garu had hid a poison on her body, and had died not an hour after being put behind bars. Rosemary had grieved, and her grief had only deepened after receiving Saeli's final letter. Saeli had been a monster, but... they had also been friends. Even if her mind knew that the world wasn't worse off with Saeli's passing, her heart was feeling a keen, guilt-ridden sorrow.

She sipped at her hot chocolate, bitter and... sad.

"I hope you weren't reading that message again."

Balint leaned down and tipped up Rosemary's chin with a talon. He kissed her, and Rosemary's sadness began to ebb. She knew the sadness would return, but Balint had a knack of knowing just what to do or say to burn away the shadows. _He's also damn good with his tongue,_ Rosemary thought to herself, inwardly grinning.

"I was. But it's gone now. But Divide isn't." She gripped her mug, worry returning to her expression. "We still have work to do."

Balint didn't sit. "Yes, we do. But there's other work, too."

Rosemary groaned and shook her head. "Who is it, and how long is it going to take? If it's Meeno, I swear... Either he learn to manage things by himself or he's going back to college," Rosemary grouched. "I can't do everything myself!"

Balint stroked her cheek with a talon, halting her tirade with that simple, gentle action. "It's not Meeno, and Rosemary – it's not even dawn. Why are you still working?"

She'd been asking herself the same question. "As crazy as it sounds, when I'm stressed... I trick myself to thinking the monotony of paperwork can somehow... de-stress me."

"So you're lying to yourself."

"Essentially."

The turian chuckled. "You are adorable some days."

"Hardy har har, I – oh!" Rosemary squeaked as Balint pulled her from the chair and set her butt on the table. "Balint, we can't. We're in Wakey Brews... Ossuri... any minute!" It was hard to protest with Balint's talons and tongue distracting her so well.

"You don't open for hours, and we both know how fashionably late Ossuri likes to be."

"I forgot to shutter the windows! Anyone could... mm..." _God, his tongue feels so long... and amazing!_

"Then let's give them a show," Balint purred.

"Wait, what?!"

The danger both agitated and thrilled her. Already feeling self-conscious about her hair piled messily on top of her head, and her un-matched undergarments, she yelped as Balint slid her blouse off of her and brought her to one of the open windows. He turned her around and pressed her against the glass; she held her breath, feeling his eyes and the tips of his talons carress her back. Even if she was still wearing a bra, and her pants were still on, she felt completely naked with her back so exposed.

Balint knew what she liked. Her reservations dissolved as he ran a slow finger down the near-bare length of her spine; her shiver followed the tip of his talons tracing the curve of her butt. _The bastard._ He knew all too well the effect his talons had on her; the danger was thrilling, and had a heated effect on her arousal. It blew all reason from her mind. _But still..._ "Does it have to be here," she whispered plaintively. "Can we maybe move back away from the street?"

His low chuckle was his answer. Her skin flushed as she gasped and arched from his talons' ministrations. Rosemary turned her head back slightly, her eyes holding her final plea. They both knew she didn't have will or want to resist him much longer. He bent his head to her ear – took a nibble. She was lost.

She didn't fight him when he took her hands and put them high on the glass. Through the glass, she could feel the cold of the night seeping through her palms. She was in full view of the street, she realized, trying to control her panic. Anyone could just come by – a patrolling C-Sec officer, a freakin' journalist – anyone! Then Balint stepped away.

She fought the urge to turn her head to look at him. "Balint?"

"You're so beautiful," he murmured. She flushed again, feeling pleasure from his words. She felt him move forward again, and deftly unclasped her bra. She wasn't used to that. Usually, there was a fair amount of ripping and tearing involved in the removal of her clothes. This time, Balint was deliciously slow with the chore, easing her pants over and down, then her panties – every so often, lightly scraping her with the edge of a talon. She liked the teasing, but no so much the pain and blood, so she stayed completely still when he did that. But he was making the task of staying still a very difficult task.

The feeling of pressing her breasts to the cold, hard surface made her jump. But it was his next words that were her true undoing. "Spread your legs wider," he growled.

The commanding timbre of his voice sent a gush of heat to her core; she gasped as she obeyed his order, cool air rushing between her thighs. She bit her lip; she'd never felt more aroused in her life.

She saw his reflection in the glass, his golden eyes hot with desire – for her. His smile was dark and wild, and his grip on her bottom, possessive. He slid his fingers down to feel her wetness, her readiness. Rosemary let out a growling moan as the other hand reached up to massage a breast, teasing her nipple with sharpness. Her body heat steamed the glass as he manipulated her body, roughly but pleasurably bringing her arousal to a peak. "Balint," she growled. ", if you don't, _ah_ , soon – I'll kill you." _God, his fingers!_

Rosemary arched her back as without warning, Balint let out a deep groan as he pushed his way into her slowly, going all the way in with the first thrust. Her breath steamed against the glass as she gasped hotly, fighting a scream as he drew back and slammed into her with accelerating force.

Knowing she could take it, but still taking caution, he gripped her by the hips with the bases of his talons and pumped her hard and fast. "You feel so damn good," he snarled, lust turning his growls deep and ragged. Rosemary's moans became louder and louder as an intense orgasm began to build deep inside her core.

They stared into each other's eyes in the mirror's reflection, gold meeting blue. Balint reached forward and claimed her swaying breasts, feeling their full weight, teasing them with talon-tips. He drew her up and continued to massage her breasts as he grazed her neck with his teeth, teasing up until he had her earlobe under a fang.

"Look at yourself, Rose," he whispered, his tongue dipping into the snug on her ear's outer rim. "You're so damn beautiful."

Rosemary looked at their reflection and her whole self blushed; _God, what a sight._ Her skin was flushed with passion, and his Roman, avian features were twisted in an expression of sexy, animalistic lust. She shuddered as she ground on him, waves of ecstasy washing over her. Balint feverishly pounded into her, his talons finally breaking skin as his control broke.

Rosemary felt him twitch inside her; she couldn't feel the pain of his grip through the orgasm ripping pleasure throughout her body.

Balint hissed as he erupted violently deep inside her body, in direct response to her muscles squeezing, spasming around his length. Rosemary nearly fell backwards, but Balint caught her, pulling her back to his body. He continued to thrust into her as she twitched uncontrollably, gasping as euphoria crashed over her.

When their senses returned, Rosemary gasped again, this time with panic. She jumped up and stared at the window, at the street outside. No one. There was no one there. But there soon would be. Her eyes darted to the clock above the shop door. "Minutes! She'll be here in _minutes_!"

Balint chuckled as she went into full-panic mode, breaking out the cleaning supplies and pulling on clothes in an exceptional show of multi-tasking. Rosemary didn't much appreciate his attitude; he barely caught the spray bottle she had pitched at his head. "Clean yourself up, and help me!"

The turian's nose ridges twitched with amusement. "There really isn't any need to panic, Rose. Ossuri's never on time."

"Anomalies still exist," Rosemary said crossly. "Now disinfect! And use the air fresheners liberally! LIBERALLY!"

"Your word is my command."

XOXOXOXO

My, it had been a long day. Intense sex session aside, Wakey Brews had been packed to capacity. She'd had to recruit Oliver to help Imitha in the kitchen; she'd been banned to be within three feet of the ovens. Her feelings hadn't been hurt; it was a simple fact of life that she couldn't bake any better than a pyjak could. She had insisted, however, on being the last one out. So here she was, wiping the last table, and let her throughts wander.

The sex had helped physically, but Rosemary knew it was the tender way that Balint handled her afterward that had soothed her troubled thoughts. After removing all evidence of their coupling, Balint had held her close, without speaking a word. He somehow knew that she had needed the comfort of his closeness, his compassion, more than words.

She had a hard life ahead of her, but she had people who loved her, who would support her. The knowledge of that warmed her to her bones.

Rosemary wasn't so lost in her musings, however, to not hear the attacker come up behind her. She ducked, and felt her curls ruffle with the force of the attacker's strike. Rosemary turned, and made eye contact with a Divide gangster – well, as much as one could have when one of the parties is wearing a helmet. Rosemary calmly weighed her options. She could throw the bigoted idiot around via krogan-strength, but that would mean... property damage. No. No more. Wakey Brews was her home. Her haven. She didn't want so much as a nick in the furniture... well, at least not one from Divide. She could send out a call for help, but that would take time... and possibly property damage. That left Option Three.

"I am Divide! You may have killed our leader, but millions will _rise_ – AAAGH!"

The gangster screamed as he fell to the floor, a bloody hole in his leg armor. Rosemary smiled admiringly at the not-so-hidden-anymore gun Yadai had installed on her omni-tool. Although... the Council would probably frown at Yadai sharing Spectre tech with a sort-of civilian. That just meant she'd have to hide the evidence – and in this case...

The Divide member tried to scuttle backwards when Rosemary advanced. "No... no!"

Rosemary sighed. "Relax, I'm not going to kill you. You'll be properly arrested by C-Sec when they get here... I just have a little business first."

The gangster stared when Rosemary pried off the damaged piece of armor, an arm piece, and a neck piece. She proceeded to beat them in with her fist, treating the leg piece the worst. Then she took a large knife from the kitchen and stabbed his leg wound with it. He screamed, but her expression remained stoic as she pulled the knife free. Inside, though, she was cringing. _Ugh. That was bad. Really bad. And gross. But it'll keep Yadai from unnecessary scrutiny, and spread the word around the Citadel that I am a bad-ass. Rosemary the bad-ass. Heh. I like it._

Then she saw the blood. So much blood. Reason left her mind then. She stomped to the kitchen and grabbed a sponge from one of the sinks. She tossed it to the gangster, with a rag. "Tie your damn leg up and clean up the damn blood! Really! Sure, trying to kill me – that's bad enough. But to leave a _mess_? In _my_ Wakey Brews? That's just bad manners," she grumbled, mostly to herself.

Word did get around the Citadel – and beyond. Rosemary continued to experience the occassional Divide attack for years to come, but never again on Wakey Brews grounds. Because word had passed – that she was a crazy bitch.


	42. Ch 42

**CHAPTER 42**

"So I hear you stabbed someone today," Oliver teased his sister, helping her put up a framed picture on the wall, next to the fireplace.

Rosemary shrugged. "It was just a scratch," she lied smoothly, stepping up on a chair. The picture was rather large, and heavy. It was a weird time to put up a picture, after a party, but it seemed like a task she shouldn't put off.

The whole gang had gathered at their townhouse after that bit of business at Wakey Brews had concluded. Everyone was there. The Normandy crew in its past-and-present entirety, her C-Sec and Wakey Brews colleagues, Doctor Chakwas, friends, old and new... It had been tough, getting them all squeezed in for a photograph, but Kaiden had insisted.

"It'd be kind of one we took at a party Shepard once held," he explained to the curious. After hearing that, Oliver badgered everyone to join in the experience. Rosemary had no doubt that he would ask to see that Shepard-party picture afterwards.

The townhouse was different, with C-Sec moved out of the main living areas. She'd miss the company of the officers she'd befriended, but it was also nice to have the space back. Her family would always be targeted by Divide, but without Saeli, the threat had been lessened a significant amount. Also, it helped that Balint now lived with them, and Yadai, the infamous Spectre, now lived in the townhouse two houses over.

Oliver cocked his head, examining the picture's placement. "That'll do, I guess. … You know, I kind had wanted you to end up with Garrus. He's kind of my hero."

Rosemary rolled her eyes and put her arm around her brother. "Please. You 'kind of' have a ship-ful of heroes."

Her little brother grinned. "Heh, yeah. Balint's cool, too. They're both awesome, though. How did you choose?"

Rosemary had wondered about that herself months ago. Balint and Garrus were both strong, intelligent, magnificent in bed... "I hold great respect for them both," she admitted to her brother. "I suppose the deciding factor was that going into my... thing with Garrus..."

" _Ew._ "

"Hey, you asked," she said, grinning. "But going into... it, I knew that his heart was already taken. We were attracted to each other's..."

" _Ew._ "

"Yeah, yeah. Besides _that_ , we were attracted to each other's personalities. But we're... friends."

Oliver shrugged and sat on the couch. "That's still awesome, though. You're friend with a hero."

"You are, too," she pointed out.

Oliver smiled. "Yeah... I _am_ awesome!"

Rosemary chuckled. It looked like she wouldn't have to worry about his self-esteem for a while. After a hug, Oliver left to hang out with Keeya and CARD.

She leaned back into the couch and stretched. "How long were you listening, Garrus?"

The blue-marked turian appeared from the hallway. "I heard most of it. Nothing embarassing, though. Shame."

"Uh-huh."

He took the place Oliver had just vacated. "You're a good friend, Rosemary. … Benefits would have been nice, though."

Rosemary smiled and shook her head. "Heh, sorry. I don't think Balint would be up for that."

Garrus appeared to think on the problem. "Yeah... me neither. But if the three of us were to be in the same bed, I could ignore him, and concentrate my... efforts into his mate."

"That wouldn't work," Balint announced, appearing out of nowhere to sit on the other side of Rosemary, in closer proximity to her, of course.

Rosemary sighed. "How long...?"

"Long enough. Sorry Garrus, but you... just don't get me going," Balint informed Garrus dryly, completely unapologetic."

Garrus sniffed. "Racist."

"More like sexist," Balint corrected him. ", and I'm okay with that."

Rosemary rolled her eyes. "Do you guys even need me in this conversation?"

"Of course we do," Garrus assured her. "Without you, it'd be... what did Joker call it... a sausage-fest."

Rosemary snickered. "You two are impossible."

"In bed, yes," Garrus agreed.

Balint reached across Rosemary and shoved Garrus off the couch.

"Ow!"

"Balint! You could have hurt him," Rosemary chastised her lover, trying to keep her lips from twitching with merriment.

"Exactly. He's a delicate flower – there's no room for flowers in our bed," Balint declared, picking up a truffle from the coffee table and popping it into his mouth.

Rosemary's brows rose. "Then what am I?"

"Not delicate. You're a golden flower... with thick-ass petals and thorns of _steel_!"

Rosemary snorted with laughter at Balint's words and ill-matched serious expression. "Oh, you're good."

Garrus had propped himself against the coffee-table, and had rolled his eyes so many times Rosemary had worried they'd pop up and out of their sockets. "I'm still here, you two."

"I know. Stay a while, Garrus," Balint drawled. "You might learn something."

"You're just showing off," Rosemary whispered to him, exasperated.

"It's called competition, and I'm winning," Balint said, grinning.

Rosemary grinned right back, the devil in her eyes. "Which is why the three of us – "

Balint silenced that horrible sentence with a kiss. Rosemary chuckled before returning his affection, flame for flame.

 **FIN**

Author's Note: Yes, the epilogue is missing. :) While playing Mass Effect: Andromeda, my fingers started twitching, as my mind buzzed with ideas. THERE WILL BE O-N-E SEQUEL, "Wakey Brews: The Palaven Branch". The outline is already underway and the first chapters will be released within the next week. Wish me luck! Until then... please leave your reviews of the story! I so appreciate any input! :D I hoped you enjoyed the read!


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